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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506909">Vow of the King</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSinful/pseuds/TheSinful'>TheSinful</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vow of the King Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Consequences, Death, F/F, F/M, Feels, Gen, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pledge to Protect, So Many Impalements You'll Think My Name Is Vlad, Training, Violence, Yuri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:33:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>54,060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSinful/pseuds/TheSinful</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Also known as<br/>The Time a Busty Death God Stabbed Me in the Heart and Now I Have to Fight Monsters and Megalomaniacs in the Spirit World</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arisawa Tatsuki/Inoue Orihime, Kurosaki Ichigo/Kurotsuchi Nemu, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vow of the King Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. This Is The World We Live In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AN: If you recognize it, I don’t own it. Also, DON’T STEAL MY FUCKING STORY! See end of chapter for further notes.<br/>“This” designates speech<br/>‘This’ designates thought<br/>“Italics” denotes Zanpakuto speaking.<br/>“Bold” denotes Hollows speaking.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Nemu! Where are you, you worthless girl?!” The voice shouting perfectly matched its owner, possessing all the warmth of deep space and the compassion of a shark. Mayuri Kurotsuchi impatiently waited for his lieutenant/daughter to arrive, a scowl on his painted face. Into the lab stepped a young woman in abbreviated black robes, her violet hair kept in a braid and her face lacking any expression. Not turning from his computer, Mayuri addressed her with a voice dripping with disdain, “There you are! Took you long enough. You’re being assigned to a month-long patrol of the living world, in a place called Karakura. It contains an exceptionally high amount of Reiryoku and thus sees an unusual amount of Hollow activity. As a result, I’ve managed to convince Yamamoto to let me send you rather than some no-name Shinigami like he’d planned. Officially, you’re there to perform the usual menial tasks of purifying Hollows and performing Soul Burials. However,” Here, Mayuri turned to regard Nemu for the first time since she entered, clearly intent on making sure she understood what he viewed as the most important part of her assignment. “Your main task is to collect specimens. Such a location is sure to possess individuals rarely seen elsewhere. They will be perfect for experimentation. But! Do <em>not</em> get caught. Yamamoto knows nothing of this, and it <em>will</em> stay that way. Am I understood?”</p><p>                Speaking for the first time since she entered, Nemu bowed her head and answered, “Yes, Mayuri-sama. It will be done.”</p><p>                “Good! Now get out of my sight!” With that, the amoral scientist returned to his data as Nemu left to prepare for her mission. A mission that would ultimately shake the very foundations of more than one world.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                On Earth, in the city known as Karakura, one teenager squared off against six others on the banks of Onose River. The lone fighter was a tall strawberry blonde teen by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo. His opponents were a group of typical high school delinquents armed with an assortment of makeshift weapons. “You really thinkin of pickin a fight with us in our own turf, Kurosaki? You gots some real balls. Not much brains though. Minamikawase is <em>our</em> territory,” The apparent leader of the street toughs sneered at the strawberry.</p><p>                Ichigo snorted in response, “You’re the morons who set up shop so close to my house. What’s wrong, did the kids at Furin Hall run you out of Karakura Honchou?” Enraged by his taunt, one thug ran forward, swinging a pipe. Ichigo casually grabbed him by the wrist, flipping him to the ground, the pipe clattering at their feet. The teen then followed up by stomping on his opponent’s shoulder and pulling brutally, dislocating the joint and removing him from the equation. This seems to signal the others to charge, each seeking to beat the schoolboy so brazenly standing against them. The first to reach him went for a right hook enhanced by a pair of knuckledusters, only to catch a jab into his floating ribs. The strawberry blonde then grabbed him by his shirt and waistband and threw him into another of his comrades. Both hit the concrete embankment hard, letting out gasps of pain. The next street tough had his baseball bat intercepted by the stolen pipe now held far-more-securely in Ichigo's hands. Ichigo switched his grip and jabbed the end of the pipe into the thug's stomach. The delinquent almost vomited as he doubled over, before the improvised weapon crashed into his jaw and knocked him clean out.</p><p>                Seeing their partners defeated so quickly, the final two took a more cautious approach. The leader was armed with a knife, his stance suggesting he actually had an idea of how to use it. His sole remaining underling wielded a chain that he was spinning inexpertly. The pair slowly advanced, seeking to force Ichigo back against the riverbank to limit his movements. Instead, Ichigo lunged forward, dodging a panicked swing by the chain user and quickly maneuvering behind him, pulling the thug into a reverse naked choke hold. As the delinquent frantically scrabbled against his arm, Ichigo maneuvered them so his victim was between him and his boss. Ignoring the thug’s attempts to strike him with his chain, Ichigo addressed the gang leader, “Six on one? You should’ve brought more. A <em>lot</em> more.” Feeling his victim go limp, Ichigo kicked him in the back to force him away as he grabbed his chain before it could fall to the ground. With more bravado than brains, the gang leader went for a probing thrust, only for Ichigo to wrap his chain around his attacker’s arm and twist, forcing him to drop his knife. Unwrapping the chain, Ichigo folded it in two and wrapped it against his final opponent’s neck.</p><p>“On second thought, you should’ve set up shop anywhere else. You see, Karakura, is <em>my</em> territory. And I don’t want to see you or your friends in my town ever again.” Seeing the delinquent frantically nod his agreement, Ichigo shoved him forward and slammed his head against the embankment. The delinquent crumbled to the floor and Ichigo let out a sigh before rifling through his beaten enemy’s pockets. Pulling out the thug’s cell phone, Ichigo dialed 119 and waited for a response on the other end, “Hello? Yes, I need an ambulance. At Onose River, about… half a kilometer south of the train tracks. How many? There’s six of them. Yes, a dislocated shoulder and several fractures and broken bones.” With that, Ichigo tossed the phone in the river and hurried home, not wanting to be late for dinner. Worse than potentially missing Yuzu’s cooking was facing her disappointment.</p><p>At the same time, high above Karakura, a set of old-fashioned shoji doors opened in the sky and out of them stepped Nemu Kurotsuchi. Her face was expressionless as she checked to make sure she still had all her equipment. Once satisfied, the woman surveyed the area and pressed a finger to her earpiece, “I have arrived Mayuri-sama.”</p><p>From the earpiece came her captain’s voice, irritation dripping from every syllable, “Then what are you waiting for, you simpleton? Stop wasting my time with worthless information and carry out your orders!”</p><p>With a quick confirmation, the Shinigami took off, the setting sun silhouetting her from behind.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                Hours later, Ichigo laid in bed after another tiresome day of fighting his father, going to school, fighting various street toughs, fighting his father some more, and placating his younger sister about almost being late to dinner. And annoyingly one last fight with his father. As he lounged about and read his manga, a figure suddenly came through the wall. And he didn’t mean she bulldozed her way in either. She simply phased through like it wasn’t even there. The figure landed on his desk, revealing herself to be a buxom young woman in a short black kimono. Ichigo gawked in a mix of confusion and disbelief as she took out a flip phone and checked something on the screen. “The first one should be nearby-“ She’s interrupted as Ichigo attempted to kick her in the back, only for the woman to quickly grab his foot and hip throw him to the ground. Unfortunately, the two become tangled and Ichigo found himself on his back with the mystery woman straddling him.</p><p>                The woman looked at him in surprise as she realized what just occurred, “You can see me. How strange. Your Reiatsu levels must be considerable for a human.” She checked her phone again before she gave a quick nod. “You must be the first specimen then. That will make things easier. Please do not resist.”</p><p>                Her comment distracted Ichigo from the sensations of having a curvaceous woman literally sitting in his lap. Looking up at her, he sputtered in shock, “Wait, the hell do you mean ‘specimen’?! And will you get off me already?”</p><p>                “I will be taking you back to Soul Society on behalf of my father. Please do not resist,” the young woman stated as she stood up from Ichigo’s prone form.</p><p>                Getting up and quickly distancing himself from this apparent kidnapper, Ichigo demanded, “What the hell is Soul Society? And for that matter, who the hell are you?”</p><p>                “I get the impression you are going to resist. Therefore, Bakudō #4, Hainawa.” A glowing golden rope instantly shot out of her hand and bound Ichigo’s arms, sending him crashing to the floor. The kidnapper-to-be gave a quick bow and introduced herself, “My name is Kurotsuchi Nemu, Shinigami and lieutenant of 12<sup>th</sup> Division. Soul Society is the home of the Shinigami who ferry souls to the afterlife and purify Hollows.”</p><p>                Realizing that the crazy woman in front of him might not just be some weirdo in slutty cosplay, the strawberry blonde teen questioned further. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to see just how deep this rabbit hole went, but seeing as she was calling him a ‘specimen’ buying time would probably be the smart thing to do. “What the hell are Hollows? And for that matter, what do you mean ‘Shinigami’?”</p><p>                “A Hollow is a soul that has lingered in the Living World too long after passing, causing them to be consumed by their regret and despair, turning them into monstrous beings who seek to consume other souls in a fruitless attempt to ease their torment. Hollows are frequently drawn first to their former loved ones then to those like yourself with especially strong Reiatsu.” As Nemu spoke, the Shinigami pulled a notebook from her robes and rapidly moved her finger back and forth across a page. Once she finished, Nemu turned the notebook around and showed a detailed drawing of a ghost turning into a monster with a mask. As he stared blankly, Ichigo realized that yes, this woman had just <em>drawn a photorealistic picture with her fingertip</em> in a few seconds and that no, he didn’t want to know. The Shinigami then ran her finger across another page several times and showed a picture of that same monster being bisected by a human in dark robes without pausing her explanation, “A Shinigami purifies a Hollow by destroying their mask, absolving them of any sins committed as a Hollow and sending them on to the afterlife along with all the souls they’ve consumed. This, along with ferrying souls to the afterlife is the main purpose of the Shinigami that make up the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”</p><p>                Before Ichigo could pose any further questions, a heavy pressure weighed down upon him as a loud roar was heard from outside. For the first time that night, Nemu showed actual emotion as she looked up in shock, “A Hollow? But how did it get so close without-“ Mid-sentence, she stopped and looked back at the bound teenager on the floor, “I see. Your uncontrolled Reiatsu has permeated the surroundings and smothered my senses.” At that moment, something massive impacted the ground outside.</p><p>As Nemu moved to confront the Hollow outside, Ichigo called out desperately, “Wait! It’s after me, right? Untie me then! Get me away from my family!” Even as he spoke, the boy writhed in an attempt to loosen the glowing rope binding him.</p><p>                Nemu stopped as she opened the door and turned towards Ichigo, only for a figure to collapse just outside the doorway. It was his little sister Karin, obviously hurt and struggling to move as she whimpered, “Ichi-nii, run.”</p><p>Anger and determination flooded Ichigo’s mind as he forced himself to his feet and struggled against his bonds. He refused to lose anyone again, <em>especially</em> not his family. “Don’t do it human, you only succeed in teari-“ Again, Nemu stopped mid-sentence, this time in shock as the mystical ropes binding Ichigo suddenly unraveled, like someone pulling a loose thread on a poorly made scarf. Freed from his bonds, Ichigo quickly checked on his injured little sister. After determining she’d be alright for the moment, he charged downstairs to confront the monster threatening his family, leaving a stunned lieutenant behind. ‘But how? He didn’t just break it! He unraveled my Bakudō! How is that possible?’ She marveled in the safety of her own mind.</p><p>                Upon reaching the first floor, Ichigo stared in shock at what he found. Most of the wall was blown out and through it he could see a bone mask almost as big as the hole itself. The creature rose up and he could see Yuzu underneath one of its hands. With a surge of protective rage, Ichigo grabbed a nearby bat and charged the beast, only to be casually swatted aside into the side of the building. Looking up, Ichigo got his first look at the monster in its entirety.  While its head was covered in a white mask like a stylized fish head, its body more closely resembled a poorly proportioned gorilla, with its arms reaching the ground. As the teen attempted to rise from the bone jarring impact, Nemu appeared beside him with a hand on his shoulder. “You are no match for a Huge Hollow. Leave this to me, human. It is my duty.”</p><p>                With that, Nemu charged into the fray, drawing a wakizashi from her sleeve as she went. The lithe Shinigami sliced at the Hollows arm, causing it to reflexively lift the appendage off of its prey. Nemu swiftly kicked the Hollow’s mask before grabbing the unconscious girl and spiriting her back to Ichigo in moments. “Look after your siblings, human.”</p><p>Unfortunately, the Hollow was much tougher than it looked. It didn’t take too long to recover from the jarring impact and took advantage of her distraction, landing a crushing blow to the violet-haired warrior’s side. She hurtled through the air into a light post, the metal crumpling under the impact. For the first time, the Hollow spoke, “<strong>Foolish Shinigami, you are no match for my power! You will fuel my ascension into a Menos Grande!</strong>” Undaunted, Nemu rose up once more, prepared to continue her battle.</p><p>“It will take more than yourself to destroy Mayuri-sama’s work.” But as she spoke, her opponent wasn’t idle. From its colossal fist, the Hollow fired a scarlet orb of destructive power. Though caught off guard, Nemu nonetheless was still far more capable than any regular Shinigami. She redirected the attack skyward with her blade in an attempt to limit collateral damage, even as she analyzed the situation. ‘A Bala? No, not quite. It has similar speed but it’s not quite as powerful and the Reiatsu is unstable and unrefined. Still, for a Hollow to use even a proto-Bala without reaching even Gillian status is troubling.’ Refusing to let up for even a moment, the Hollow continued punching crimson blasts at its Shinigami foe, forcing her to dodge what she could while slicing apart what she couldn’t with her superior skill and control.</p><p>“<strong>Troublesome gnat!</strong>” The Hollow snarled, before firing off two blasts at once, one aimed for the Lieutenant, the other hurtling towards the human spectators. In a flash, Nemu appeared before the pair, shielding them as the proto-Bala crashed into her body. Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the Shinigami’s back as the monster continuously launched more attacks into her torso. At one point, she raised an arm and tried to speak, only for another attack to strike her in the face, cutting her off. As the woman finally collapsed, the creature grabbed her in one giant fist and swung her over its head before slamming her into the ground.</p><p>Deciding she was finished, the Hollow lifted her up to its gaping maw bit down on her torso, only for the Shinigami to point a hand down its throat and declare, “Hadō #33, Sōkatsui.” The blast of blue fire scorched the Hollow’s insides as it was launched down the street. As the Hollow struggled to recover, Ichigo raced over to the downed Shinigami, desperate to help in any way he can. Upon reaching her side, Ichigo was horrified by her condition. While he was no stranger to seeing others injured, both from his fights and his time helping in his father’s clinic, Ichigo couldn’t recall ever seeing someone so… brutalized, except for his- ‘<strong>No!</strong> Don’t think about that right now!’ Coughing up blood, Nemu addressed the teenager at her side, “Human… Do you wish to save your family?”</p><p>Momentarily taken aback by such an obvious question, Ichigo responded, “Wh-what? Of course I do!”</p><p>Shakily, Nemu raised her wakizashi and continued, “Then place my Zanpakutō against your heart.” Deciding to trust the woman who nearly died saving his family, Ichigo did as she bid, only to frown in confusion when she moves the blade minutely from where he placed it. “If this succeeds, you will be granted a portion of my power. Enough to purify this Hollow.”</p><p>Unable to help himself, Ichigo asked, “And if it fails?”</p><p>“Then we’ll be devoured,” She responded plainly.</p><p>Nodding, Ichigo asserted his decision, “Do it. And my name is Kurosaki Ichigo, for the re-“ Before he can even finish his sentence, Nemu pressed forward, stabbing him directly in the septum of his heart. There was an indescribable surge through Ichigo’s body, like his bones had been replaced by hot steel or like someone ran an electric current through his very soul. At the same time, Nemu felt as though all the warmth in her body had been siphoned out of her and into the teenager she just impaled, where it burst into a roaring conflagration. The pair were shrouded in an eruption of blue energy which receded to show both of them altered. Ichigo stood there in a black shihakusho with a massive sword leaning against his shoulder. It looked like a bad parody of a katana, being many times longer, thicker, and wider than a real blade. Nemu on the other hand was clad in a yukata of purest white, a look of pure shock on her face as she reeled.</p><p>“This feeling… I feel incredible! Unstoppable! Invincible!” As the huge Hollow lumbered towards him, Ichigo confidently stood his ground. Nemu once again stared in astonishment because of this teenaged human. ‘How could this be? I only intended to give him 53% of my available Reiatsu, but he took over 98%!’ The Hollow launched a punch at Ichigo’s side, only for its fist to bounce off, the knuckles bloody and shredded as though it’d punched a brick wall. Ichigo disappeared in an instant, only to reappear behind his opponent, one of the Hollow’s arms falling to the ground at the same time. “Where was all that power and speed from before? You’re awfully sluggish now.” In desperation, the Hollow punched forward with its remaining arm, firing off another of its proto-Balas, but Ichigo dodged with ease. “Well either way, it’s time for you to pay for hurting my family!” With that, Ichigo jumped in the air and performed an overhead strike, cleaving straight through the Hollow’s mask and instantly purifying it.</p><p>As Ichigo turned back towards Nemu, his vision suddenly blurred. His limbs grew heavy as exhaustion overcame him, like he’d just sprinted from one end of the city to the other. Just before unconsciousness claimed him, Ichigo swore he saw a small animal in front of the injured Shinigami, like a small dog or a cat.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                Ichigo awoke. As he slowly sat up, he looked around his room in confusion. Something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly. Everything in his room seemed the same as ever but he couldn’t shake the feeling something was <em>missing</em>. Shaking his head, he tried to put it from his mind. It was a school day and he needed to get ready. As Ichigo got dressed, he noticed his father hadn’t come to wake him up/”train his reflexes” yet, which was unusual but maybe he had an early patient this morning. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, the respite was certainly appreciated.</p><p>                It was only as he walked into the dining room that Ichigo realized what was wrong that morning. There, on the far side of the room was a massive hole in the wall. In that moment, his memories of the previous night flooded back: the Shinigami, the Hollow, being empowered. Remembering the state he saw last saw his sisters in, Ichigo rushed towards where he could hear his family talking. Standing outside their home, Isshin and his daughters stared incredulously at the hole that used to be the wall of their dining room.</p><p>                “I can’t believe a car hit our house last night!” While as boisterous as ever, Isshin’s voice was tinged with confusion. As he looked over the damage, Isshin sighed internally. ‘That’s going to be costly to repair. Then again, Urahara <em>does</em> owe me a favor. He could probably get this fixed in a day or two.’</p><p>                As snarky as ever, Karin chimed in, “<em>I</em> can’t believe a car hit our house and none of us woke up. Anyw- what? Ichigo, what’s gotten into you?!” She was cut off as Ichigo suddenly grabbed her and her twin in a tight embrace. “Godda- seriously, let go already. You’re acting like you haven’t seen us in months!”</p><p>                Realizing how he probably looked, Ichigo released his sisters before standing up. He awkwardly scratched at his head before muttering, “Sorry. Bad dream I guess,” as he steadily refused to make eye contact with anyone. “Oh, would you look at the time! I’mrunninglategottagobye!” He blurted out before sprinting away towards school.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                It was only after he was a couple blocks away that Ichigo finally slowed to a more sedate walk. “Last night definitely happened. But why aren’t any of us injured? Why don’t the others remember anything? And what exactly happened to that woman?” So lost in his thought was he, that Ichigo didn’t notice the approach of another until he heard his name called.</p><p>                “Oi! Ichigo! Anyone in there?” The speaker was a petite young woman in a school uniform, her dark hair kept short and spikey. This was Arisawa Tatsuki, Ichigo’s oldest friend and one of the best karate practitioners in her age group in the nation. “Geez, what’s going on with you today? Anything to do with that giant hole in your house I saw earlier?”</p><p>                Looking up in surprise, Ichigo finally noticed Tatsuki standing directly in front of him. “Oh, sorry. Yeah, a car hit my house last night?” He belatedly replied. Even to his own ears, his excuse sounded weak. Tatsuki’s unimpressed stare said she felt the same. Regardless, she apparently decided to let it go and changed the subject. The pair made meaningless small talk as they continued their walk to school, comments about how Tatsuki’s training was going or whatever gang Ichigo roughed up recently. Eventually, they arrived at Karakura High, ready for another boring day of classes.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                “ICHIGOOOO!” A deafening and exuberant voice rapidly approached the moment Ichigo stepped into the building. Reflexively, Ichigo stuck out one arm, catching one Asano Keigo by the face as he attempted to tackle his friend. After stopping his momentum, Ichigo carelessly dropped the brunette to the floor. Crying exaggeratedly, Keigo whined, “How cruel of you Ichigo! And here I was trying to bring you the good news!”</p><p>                Curiosity piqued, Ichigo replied, “Hm? What good news are you talking about?” While it was no secret that Keigo’s overreactions could get annoying, he <em>did</em> have a surprising tendency to hear new rumors before most.</p><p>                His exaggerated tears immediately stopping and gaining a cocky smirk, Keigo answered, “I heard there’s a new transfer student arriving today.” His attempt to seem knowledgeable and wise fell apart instantly as his smirk turned to a perverted grin, “I hope it’s a total hottie! Someone really exotic, with melons like Inoue’s and legs for-“</p><p>                Keigo’s rambling was suddenly cut off as a new voice spoke up, “Melons? I don’t have melons. Though I did bring some melon bread today, with wasabi and peanut butter!” The newcomer was one Inoue Orihime, a rather ditzy girl who made everyone agree on three things. First, she was too adorable to hate. Like a newborn kitten. Second, she couldn’t possibly have a sense of taste with the food she ate. Finally, her breasts were so large, they had their own gravitational pull. …That last one may have been created by Chizuru, who claimed she couldn't keep her hands off them. “Oh, Kurosaki-kun! I heard from Tatsuki-chan about your house! Are you alright?” Before Ichigo could respond, the second bell rang, and everyone quickly moved to their seats. What followed was a largely average day of classes with Ichigo later learning the transfer student was in another class. Finally, it was time for the final class of the day: Physical Education.</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>                Ichigo stepped out of the locker room in his gym clothes and was surprised to see the boys and girls weren’t already separated for class nor was the teacher present. Looking around, he spotted Chad easily and decided to see if the tanned giant knew what was going on. As he walked up to him, Ichigo noticed Uryū was also near Chad, likely a coincidence as he was pretty sure the two didn’t really know each other. “Oi, Chad, Uryū. Either of you know what’s going on?”</p><p>                While Chad merely answered in the negative, Uryū sighed in disgruntlement before responding, “No Kurosaki. All I’ve heard is that Kagine-sensei seems to have resigned unexpectedly.” Despite the two of them being cousins, Ichigo and Uryū couldn’t be less alike both in terms of physicality and personality. Whereas Ichigo had strawberry blonde hair and a mild tan, Uryū was extremely pale and had dark hair. Ichigo possessed obvious muscle tone from all the fights he got in and looked like a delinquent, while Uryū was just shy of being outright scrawny and seemed like a stereotypical nerd. About the only thing they had in common was their rudeness, although Uryū’s was clear condescension whereas Ichigo’s was more a lack of any of formality.</p><p>                Over by the girls, resident sex maniac Chizuru decided Orihime looked too irresistible in her bloomers and started fondling the other girl’s breasts. As Orihime squawked in surprise, an irate Tatsuki stomped over to teach Chizuru some manners. Before she could however, a red rubber ball flew out of nowhere and brained Chizuru hard enough to make her flip cartoonishly through the air. “Please refrain from any sexual encounters during class, Honshō-kun.” Ichigo looked around in shock at those words. ‘That sounded like- but it couldn’t be, could it?’ While the other students muttered about the new teacher, Ichigo alone recognized her. Sure, she was wearing a navy-blue tracksuit rather than a shihakusho and had her hair tied in a low bun rather than a braid, but there was no mistaking that woman. She stopped before the class and dropped the large bag she’d been carrying over her shoulder, before greeting them, “My name is Kurotsuchi Nemu and I will be your physical education teacher for the foreseeable future.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next time on Vow of the King! Nemu plants a dumbass tree and tastes some strawberry!</p><p>AN: This story is technically AU, though the details won’t be revealed until they come up in story. The pairing is Ichigo/Multi. Pairings are set and will be added to tags as they occur. Anyone who wants to know the pairings ahead of time can ask.<br/>M rating as violence will generally be more graphic than canon and there will be swearing when I feel it’s relevant for the character. There MIGHT be lemons, depending on how my current attempt at one goes.</p><p>Big shout-outs to Primordial Vortex, Ignis18, and Salante for helping with this, both beta-ing and telling me when I'm being stupid.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I'm Gonna Cast A Spell On You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Training, exposition, and shenanigans.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>On the advice of one of my betas, Primordial Vortex, I've changed formatting slightly for speech/thought<br/>Speech is in quotations<br/>Thoughts will be in apostrophe's and italicized<br/>Zanpakutou will be italicized and underlined<br/>Hollows will remain bold.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 2: </strong>
  <strong>I’m Gonna Cast a Spell on You</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>                “Kurosaki-kun, stay behind. You’ll be assisting me in putting away the equipment,” Nemu’s voice called as the bell rang. Gym class had consisted of a ridiculously intense game of dodgeball, in which more than one student needed to be carried off the field. Having lasted almost the entire game, Ichigo was honestly torn on whether he wanted to interrogate the Shinigami woman or get a hot relaxing shower before going home. However, it seemed the choice was taken out of his hands. As the rest of his classmates limped back into the locker rooms, cradling various bruised body parts, Ichigo helped their “teacher” gather up all the rubber balls and put them back in their bag. It was only after pair entered the equipment shed that Nemu spoke again. As Ichigo placed the bag on the floor, Nemu closed and locked the door behind them before speaking, “You have questions.”</p><p>                Unable to help himself, Ichigo’s frustrations and disbelief boiled over, “Of course I have questions! You flipped my entire worldview upside-down, turned me into some weird magical girl knockoff, and then disappear after somehow making my family believe a car of all things wrecked our house! And now, rather than going back to your Soul Society, you’re in my school, teaching gym class!”</p><p>                “Your previous worldview was incomplete, if not outright false. If anything, I would think you’d be comforted by knowing there is indeed a life beyond your current one,” Nemu replied plainly.</p><p>                Before she could continue, Ichigo cut in irritably, “Giant, soul eating monsters.”</p><p>                “Fair, I suppose.” Nemu gave a small nod in response, acknowledging his point, before continuing, “You are not a ‘magical girl knockoff’, but a Substitute Shinigami. While your powers should have lasted only a few hours before fading away, there was a complication. I had intended to infuse you with only 53.07% of my powers. Instead, you somehow took almost all of it; 99.38%. This left me with less power than a freshly graduated recruit. Ordinarily, I could use one of the distress beacons placed within my body to call for reinforcements. However, it seems they were damaged in our battle against the Huge Hollow and I currently lack the tools to repair them. With my reserves exhausted and my beacons broken, I will require at least a month to recover enough to open a Senkaimon and return to Soul Society. Until that time, you will have to fulfill my duties. As for why I’m <em>here</em> specifically, an… acquaintance by the name of Urahara Kisuke provided me with a Gigai so I can interact with ordinary humans and placed me here so I would have easier access to you. And as I’m sure you will be asking, a Gigai is an artificial body designed to hold a Shinigami’s soul so we can interact with your world.”</p><p>                Not wanting to get caught up in some kind of supernatural war against soul devouring monsters, Ichigo naturally protested, “I only got involved to save my family! I’m not interested in being some kind of ghost Kamen Rider.”</p><p>                Tilting her head to the side, the Shinigami crushed his protests with a single sentence, “Then thousands will be consumed.” Ignoring the strawberry’s exclamation of surprise, she elaborated, “Karakura is unnaturally rich in both Reishi and Reiryoku, both of which will naturally draw Hollows here. Once they realize the city is unguarded, more will swarm to this location, seeking to devour every soul they can. Without a guardian to prevent such an outcome, Karakura will be reduced to a sepulcher within seven weeks. <em>Or</em> you can cleanse a Hollow or two daily for the next month.”</p><p>                Seeing no recourse, Ichigo reluctantly conceded, his hands clenched into fists of frustration, “Fine.” He hissed out in unhappiness, “But don’t expect me to be happy about it. Plus, I still have a life of my own.”</p><p>                “For the foreseeable future, no, you don’t. If it helps, think of this as an exchange; your family lives and you takeover my duties until I can perform them myself.” Pushing herself off the wall, Nemu unlocked and opened the door. Pausing in the doorway, the woman paused and gave a few parting words, “Meet me by the Sukari Building tomorrow after breakfast. There, I’ll be training you in how to be a proper Shinigami.”</p><p>                “Wait,” Ichigo called after her, “You didn’t answer all my questions!” But she was already gone. In a huff, Ichigo walked left the equipment shed to get changed and head home. As he finished putting on his street shoes, the teenager pondered out loud, “Wonder what she did with Kagine-sensei.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Elsewhere, a muscular Japanese man woke up on the hard ground. Groaning as he slowly stood up, Kagine wiped a hand across his face as he tried to determine what happened to him. “Ugh. Haven’t felt like this hungover since New Year’s. What did I do last night? And for that matter, where am I?” Looking around, Kagine saw that he was just outside of a small city, though clearly not Karakura. For one thing, the people he could see weren’t Asian. Not to mention, it was considerably chillier than he was used to for this time of year. As he spun in place, the man noticed there was a sign not too far away, though it was facing away from him. Walking around to the front, all hopes of the sign telling him anything useful were dashed once he saw the writing upon it. While he didn’t recognize the language, it definitely wasn’t Japanese: “Välkommen till Falun. Befolkning: 54,994.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                “GOOOOOD MOOORRRRNING, ICHIGOOOOO!” His father’s shout woke up Ichigo faster than a shot of adrenaline, causing him to shoot up out of bed as Isshin burst through the door. The older man was already airborne, hurtling feet-first towards his eldest child. In a long-practiced maneuver, Ichigo opened his window with one hand whilst grabbing his father’s ankle with the other, quickly turning to throw him right out the window and into the street below. At this point, the whole scenario was so routine, he could probably do it in his sleep if Isshin didn’t see fit to yell loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood each time. Sadly, that wasn’t even hyperbole; Tatsuki once complained about the noise on their way to school.</p><p>                As the teenager was ruminating on his father’s ludicrous antics, Ichigo heard something that was very much <em>not</em> routine. “Good morning, Kurosaki-san. It surprises me that you’re allowed to retaliate against your father.” Turning quickly at the unexpected voice, Ichigo saw Nemu exiting his closet as though it was normal to sleep in there. </p><p>                “What are you doing in my closet?!” Ichigo loudly questioned in bewilderment. After a moment, his brain caught up with exactly what he was looking at and he quickly turned around. His face was red enough to resemble his (incorrect and unwanted) namesake and he most definitely did <em>not</em> squeak when he said, “And what the hell are you wearing!?”</p><p>Nemu looked down in mild confusion at her sleepwear before responding, “Urahara-san stated I needed pajamas and insisted this would be ideal to wear.” The young woman stood there clad only in an almost completely transparent lavender nightie, the entirety of her body on display. Combined with her tussled hair, she looked like a model from one of those websites Ichigo pretended he didn’t visit.</p><p>“J-just put something else on already!” Ichigo sputtered, still adamantly looking in the exact opposite direction of the Shinigami. Though as he heard her dressing, Ichigo registered what Nemu had first said and turned back to ask, “’Allowed to retaliate’? What do you- GAH!” Having looked too soon, Ichigo got an eyeful of Nemu’s long, pale legs and pert posterior before he fell backwards due to a combination of shock and the force of his own bloody nose. Once she was dressed properly, this time in a white sports bra and purple tennis skirt, Nemu reminded Ichigo about their meeting, before exiting through the window.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>As the pair arrived at the ruins of the old Sukari Building, Ichigo pondered why Nemu told him to “meet her” there if she was just going to travel with him the entire way. Idly he wondered if she simply didn’t know how to get there. Regardless, the moment they got too close to the structure, a howl filled the air as a spirit appeared. Unlike other souls Ichigo had encountered in his life, this one had a small hole starting to form in his chest. Furthermore, an immensely long chain wrapped around his body several times to bind him to the abandoned hospital. While Ichigo started in surprise, Nemu merely observed the spirit in detached curiosity. “How strange. I did not expect to find a Demi-Hollow.”</p><p>“A Demi-Hollow? What the hell is a Demi-Hollow?” Ichigo questioned the shorter woman, trying to ignore the spirit’s <em>extremely</em> colorful shouting as he ranted at them to stay away from “his inheritance”. Unfortunately, ignoring him seemed to only make the spirit louder.</p><p>“A Demi-Hollow is a soul that is in the process of turning into a Hollow on its own. Most examples are souls who refuse to move on to the afterlife due to strong bonds towards a person or location. This particular one should have approximately another five months until it turns fully, judging by the state of its hole,” Nemu clinically explained, all while observing the ghost like a mildly interesting specimen. After a moment, she donned a red glove as she turned towards Ichigo. “Regardless, this is an opportunity for you to learn about a Shinigami’s primary duty and perform a Konsō.”</p><p>Turning towards the Shinigami, Ichigo replied, “Hm? A Konsō?” Instead of an answer, all he received has an open hand grabbing his face and slamming the back of his head to the ground hard enough to make his vision swim. “Gah! What the fuck was-“ Ichigo found himself trailing off as he stared at his own body in Nemu’s hands while she carefully set it down, leaning it against one of the building’s walls. Looking back down at himself, Ichigo saw he was once more a Shinigami.</p><p>“This is a Gokon Tekkō; a device for removing Shinigami from their Gigai. But that’s not important right now.” At her urging, Ichigo moved towards the Demi-Hollow as she explained how to perform a Konsō, “Take your Zanpakutō and channel a small amount of your Reiryoku into its hilt then-“</p><p>But Ichigo interrupted her explanation, “Channel it how?”</p><p>Nemu gave him a look that suggested she would be facepalming if she were a more emotive person. With an almost inaudible sigh, Nemu soldiered on, “Picture a river within your body, flowing throughout every extremity and back again. Grasp a small fraction of that river and direct it towards the hilt of your Zanpakutō.” After several seconds, the hilt of Ichigo’s comically oversized katana flared up like the sun. “I suppose that will suffice for the moment. Now, tap the hilt of your Zanpakutō to the soul’s forehead.” Following her instructions, Ichigo moved to perform the Konsō, only to stumble on a small rock. Rather than a light tap, Ichigo smacked his Zanpakutō’s hilt into the spirit’s forehead.</p><p>“What the hell was that for?! You trying to start some- oh fuck! OH, HOLY FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!” With a final shout, the soul sank into a blue pool of light in the ground, leaving behind only a Hell Butterfly that quickly flapped away.</p><p>After a moment, Nemu spoke up once more, “Sufficient, if extremely inefficient. For now, we will see if you have any aptitude for Kidō whilst I explain more about the Shinigami and their duties. Kidō is divided into three main categories: Hadō which is composed of offensive spells. Bakudō which are utility spells such as bindings and barriers. Finally, Kaidō is used for healing.” Looking around, Nemu spotted an old concrete divider that would do for their purposes. “Stand ten meters from that divider. It will serve as a target for Hadō practice.” Once Ichigo had done as she instructed, the Shinigami continued, “Now, we will start with the weakest Hadō first. Hadō #1, Sho. In order to cast it, focus a portion of your Reiryoku into the tip of your finger. Then state, “<em>Hadō #1, Sho</em>” while focusing on launching your Reiryoku from your finger and towards your target. Should you succeed, an invisible force will knock your target backwards. While mostly used as an introduction to the destructive branch of Kidō, it is nonetheless a useful spell in the hands of a skilled practitioner.”</p><p>Once more taking several seconds to channel his power correctly, Ichigo pointed at the concrete divider and attempted to perform the Kidō as instructed. “Hadō #1, Sho!” Rather than an invisible burst of energy, a smoky explosion went off at the tip of the teenager’s finger, shocking him and knocking him on his ass.</p><p>Sighing once more, Nemu spoke up, “Not entirely unexpected. Perhaps you would do better with a different Hadō to start. Unlike Sho, most higher level Hadō have an incantation to be chanted when casting them. Such incantations act as both enhancements to empower Kidō further and mnemonics to help properly shape your Reiryoku. This next Hadō is number 31, Shakkahō. Before you attempt to cast it, I want you to repeat its incantation until you get it exactly correct three times in a row. Between incantations, you are to point your hands towards your target and concentrate your Reiryoku into them while imagining your power burning like a fire. During that time, I will be explaining further details about Shinigami and their duties.”</p><p>“First I’m a magical girl and now I’m firing off ki blasts like I’m in Dragonball Z,” Ichigo muttered to himself.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                “Thus, any soul that is considered to have committed grievous sins in life will be sent to Hell, even after a Shinigami purifies them,” As the young woman finished up her current lesson, she paid careful attention to Ichigo’s chanting. “That’s enough. Now, utilize the chant in full before stating the Hadō’s number and name as you attempt to cast.”</p><p>                Ready to finally make a second attempt at using Kidō, having tripped over his tongue multiple times trying to get the incantation right, Ichigo shook out his arms a bit before starting his chant. “Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #31, Shakkahō!” Thankfully, this time his attempted Hadō didn’t explode in his face. Instead a powerful gust of cold wind tore through the area, knocking over his human body and blowing up Nemu’s skirt, giving Ichigo his second eyeful of the day.</p><p>                Idly fixing her clothing, Nemu moved to check the condition of Ichigo’s body as well. “While it didn’t backfire, it would seem you possess functionally no talent for Hadō. It would be best if we moved on to seeing if the same will hold true for Bakudō.”</p><p>                “Am I just overpowering them? I know the amount I used for that Konsō can’t have been normal! It was sparking! Could I try a higher-level one?” Though he wouldn’t admit it, Ichigo kind of wanted to learn Hadō just so he could pretend to fire off Kamehamehas, much like any teenage boy.</p><p>                Shaking her head, Nemu disabused him of the idea, “High-level Kidō require both power and control. Simply throwing massive amounts of power around will result in barely functioning Kidō at best. More probable is accomplishing nothing but wasting your Reiryoku. <em>Most </em>probable is it exploding in your face and grievously injuring you. Once again, we will be starting with the weakest. Bakudō #1, Sai. As this Bakudō requires your target have limbs in order to work, you will be casting on me rather than the divider.”</p><p>Thinking of his previous failures, Ichigo couldn’t help but question the wisdom of him casting Kidō upon her for training. “Are you sure? What if it explodes again? Or summons giant lizards or something?”</p><p>“It will be fine,” Nemu insisted. “This time, you’re to concentrate your power into the first two fingers of one hand and then perform a swipe to the side. Your mental picture should be of my arms being bound behind my back.”</p><p>Deciding to trust her judgment, Ichigo did as she bade him. This time, he felt like he might actually pull it off successfully. “Bakudō #1, Sai!” Immediately, Nemu’s arms <em>and</em> legs snapped behind her back, bound by invisible shackles. She promptly fell to the ground face first, hog tied by seemingly nothing. “Oh shit!” The strawberry exclaimed in shock. Running over to quickly, Ichigo got down to check on the fallen woman. Turning her over, he quickly determined she was a certainly dirty, but not actually injured.</p><p>“We’ll call that one a success, Kurosaki-san. Now, if you’d release me, we can start on the next Bakudō,” Nemu’s normally near emotionless voice contained a tinge of irritation. Clearly, she was not happy with Ichigo’s efforts so far. Before he could ask, she answered his next question, “Cancel the Kidō by refocusing your Reiryoku into your fingers and willing it to cease.” Following her instructions, he released the Shinigami from her bonds, allowing her to stand and rub at her wrists and ankles. “This shall be our final Kidō today, Bakudō #9 Hōrin. As with Shakkahō, this Bakudō has an incantation that aids in its casting. “<em>Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!</em>” As before, you are to repeat the incantation until you can recite it perfectly.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                “As such, you can only be certain a Hollow has been truly purified if you have destroyed their mask. Otherwise, there’s a chance they will recover and attack once more. Now then, Hōrin is designed to bind an opponent in a rope made of Reiryoku and allow you to then move them about as though the rope were a solid object. As always, focus your power into your hands first. This time, you are to imagine the rope launching from your palm towards your target while remaining bound to you. Attempt to cast the Bakudō on the concrete divider.”</p><p>                Taking a breath, Ichigo prepared himself as he hoped he would actually pull off at least one Kidō correctly today. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudō #9, Hōrin!” To the surprise of both, the Kidō worked flawlessly, a glowing yellow rope of Reiryoku flowing from Ichigo’s palm to wrap around the divider.</p><p>                “Well done. While I had not intended to go so far, try to fire a second rope from your opposite palm at another target, this time without the incantation.” With a frown of concentration on his face, Ichigo moved his hands apart and pointed his left hand at Nemu. From his hand burst forth another rope which quickly wound itself around her torso, binding her arms to her sides. “Exceptional work. And most unusual. To fail utterly at Hadō and the weakest of Bakudō yet cast one of a higher level flawlessly on the first cast.” For once, Nemu’s voice wasn’t flat nor tinged with annoyance. Instead, she sounded like a scientist recording unexpected experiment results. Ichigo wasn’t entirely sure if it was an improvement or somehow creepier than her usual monotone. “We will return here twice a week to practice when you’re not purifying Hollows or performing Konsō. Such training will be important if you’re to successfully cleanse more powerful Hollows.”</p><p>                “Even stronger than that one the other night?” While he tried to sound merely inquisitive, Ichigo’s voice betrayed his worry. The violet haired woman had nearly died fighting that monster, even if it’d seem awfully weak once he was empowered.</p><p>                Nemu’s response was as swift as it was blunt, “Unlikely. That Hollow was far past your current ability under normal circumstances.”</p><p>                “Hey! What do you mean “past my current ability”?! I squashed that thing like a bug!” Ichigo’s worry promptly evaporated in the face of his indignation.</p><p>                Once more, he was shut down matter-of-factly, “Correct. But only because it bit me. My real body is filled with numerous chemicals, drugs, and poisons. The Huge Hollow ingested multiple samples when it tried to consume me. Unless it possessed potent regenerative abilities, it would have died on its own shortly after regardless of your actions.”</p><p>                “Your body is <em>what</em>?! Why are Shinigami filled with poison!?” Came Ichigo’s shouted exclamation, “Wait! Is my body filled with poison now too?!”</p><p>                As Ichigo panicked, Nemu pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘<em>It’s like dealing with a fresh recruit from the 11<sup>th</sup> Division.</em>’ Deciding to cut him off before he got even more worked up, Nemu explained, “Shinigami are not filled with poison. <em>I</em> am filled with poison as part of my unique physiology. Most Shinigami are either recruited from souls in the various Rukongai districts that have sufficient amounts of Reiryoku or, more rarely, are born to one of the noble houses-”</p><p>                At this, Ichigo interrupted her explanation, thoroughly confused by what the woman had just said, “Wait, people can be <em>born</em> in Soul Society? But, aren’t they dead by definition? How does that even work?”</p><p>                “Irrelevant,” Nemu’s tone brooked no argument. “On the other hand, I was created by my father and Captain of the 12<sup>th</sup> Division: Kurotsuchi Mayuri. I am his seventh attempt to create an artificial entity that qualifies as a true soul. As the only one capable of manifesting my own Zanpakutō, I was spared vivisection unlike my predecessors. Though my duties include being used as an experimental subject for tests too important to leave to those who might perish before useful information can be extracted, my main purpose is to act as a research assistant.” As she spoke, Ichigo’s face first paled, then tinged with green as he imagined what kind of experiments a man willing to vivisect people would perform. “The various chemicals and poisons stored within my body are a result of those experiments. Mayuri-sama was always quite careful to insure they wouldn’t be fatal for me and first tested on other subjects. He regularly reminded me of how much time and effort it would take to build another daughter.”</p><p>                At this point, Ichigo stopped her from speaking further. Placing both hands on her shoulders, Ichigo looked Nemu in the eyes as he growled, "No!" Nemu's eyes widened minutely. Ichigo looked <em>apoplectic</em>, "That... <strong>monster </strong>could never be called a father." He started to pace like a caged tiger, fists clenching and unclenching at his side, "A father doesn't experiment on his children o-or pump them full of drugs! That's not-That's not how you should treat <em>anyone</em>, let alone family!" he snarled out.</p><p>                As Ichigo turned once again in his pacing, he saw Nemu’s expression; her eyes were the widest he’d ever seen them, and she had taken a slight step back. In that instant, his fury bled out of him, leaving the strawberry drained. “I just- Look, I don’t appreciate you trying to kidnap me to be used as a science experiment, but I can understand why you were doing it now. Your monster of a creator – and let me be clear, he is NOT a father – commanded it. And moreover, you didn’t and don’t deserve <em>anything </em>that <strong>monster</strong> has done to you.” Running a hand through his hair tiredly, Ichigo leaned back against the old hospital’s wall and said, “How about this: we continue my training or whatever you were planning then you have dinner with my family tonight. Maybe see what a normal family is like.” As his father’s antics flashed through his mind, Ichigo corrected himself, “Well, maybe not a <strong>normal</strong> family,” he chuckled a little, “-but a real one.”</p><p>                ‘<em>How… unexpected. None have shown such outrage at Mayuri-sama’s actions before. Even the other Captains seem more irritated and resigned to his habits than anything.</em>’ Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Nemu nodded her head in agreement, “Very well Kurosaki-san. We shall attempt one more Bakudō before patrolling.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                “Yuzu, Karin, I’m home! I brought that guest I mentioned!” Ichigo’s voice called as he and Nemu entered the Kurosaki family home. After their… talk, Nemu had attempted to teach Ichigo Bakudō #21 Sekienton. Unlike the previous Bakudō, it didn’t bind an enemy but created a smokescreen to cover your movements. ‘Attempted’ as once again, Ichigo couldn’t come close to a satisfactory result. He only had two attempts that actually produced any results; one produced the spiritual equivalent of a cherry bomb while the other left a large red splotch on the ground as though someone had dropped an open paint can. Nemu had apparently concluded that for some reason, Ichigo’s only talent with Kidō that she could see was in Binding-Type spells. She had then left him a blushing, incredulous mess when she innocently asked if he was into that ‘bondage’ thing she’d seen mentioned in a book. After he’d cooled down, Nemu had shown Ichigo how to properly patrol an area as large as Karakura. Besides a Hollow that was only remarkable for how weak it was, nothing occurred except a few Konsō.</p><p>                “What, no love for your old man?!” Even as he shouted, Isshin flew through the air at his son, once more ‘testing his reflexes.’</p><p>                Not in the mood to deal with his father’s antics after such an exhausting day, Ichigo merely sidestepped and let the older man crash into the wall. “Not now, Goat-chin. We’ve got a guest.”</p><p>                In an instant, Isshin was back on his feet as though the last several seconds never happened, “Oh, not just a guest but a girl! And a beautiful one at that! Is she your girlfriend?” Without giving his son the opportunity to answer, Isshin turned towards the new arrival, “Please be patient with my boy. He’s a bit of a blockhead at times but he’s a good boy. Why, soon I’m sure the two of you will be tying the knot and giving me grandkids! Isn’t that right Masaki?” Once again, Isshin moved off before anyone could answer, this time apparently addressing the larger than life sized poster on the wall.</p><p>                Taken aback – especially because while she was reasonably certain this man was Captain Shiba Isshin, he acted far more outlandish than she recalled – Nemu looked at Ichigo in askance. Ichigo merely sighed and told her, “Yeah. He’s always like that. C’mon, I gotta set the table for dinner.” With that, Nemu silently followed him into the kitchen and stood by as Ichigo got the necessary utensils for the meal and set them on the dining room table.</p><p>                As Yuzu was bringing dinner to the table, Karin came downstairs, pausing as she spotted the new addition sitting next to her older brother. “Who’s the new girl? Did Ichigo finally find someone willing to put up with his grouchiness?” She asked as she took her seat.</p><p>                Ichigo quickly shot her a look before answering, “No. This is my teacher, Kurotsuchi Nemu. She’s new to town and I invited her to have a homecooked meal.” With that, the family ate in peace, the companionable silence broken only by the clinking of utensils and general small talk about how each other’s day went.</p><p>After dinner, Ichigo snuck Nemu upstairs while his sisters were busy with some joke his father was telling. Sitting at his desk, Ichigo gestured for her to take a seat on his bed. Taking a breath, Ichigo found himself saying, “So I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that Hollows aren’t going to show up when it’s convenient, so you’ll have to stick close by.” At his pause, Nemu nodded. “Right, because why make things easy? In that case, you can have the bed. I’ll set up a spare futon on the floor.”</p><p>Here, Nemu disagreed, “No. If your sleep cycle suffers from sleeping on the floor, your performance as a Shinigami will be hindered to an unacceptable degree. Instead, we shall share the bed.”</p><p>At this, Ichigo sputtered in shock and embarrassment. “Wh-what?! But that’s completely inappropriate! We barely even know each other! And- wait. When did you have time to change? Is that my shirt?”</p><p>Indeed, Nemu was now sitting on his bed, clad in one of his shirts. After giving her a quick once over, Ichigo realized that it was still technically better than her lingerie from that morning. At least his shirt was opaque, even if it didn’t cover much. Nemu simply shrugged in response, doing interesting things to her chest, pressed against his shirt as it was, “You weren’t paying attention. Also, you disapproved of my previous sleepwear, so this seemed like a viable alternative. Now come, you need your rest for tomorrow.” She laid down and closed her eyes.</p><p>‘<em>This woman is going to kill me.</em>’ Ichigo mentally groaned as he skittishly lay beside her. A traitorous part of his mind piped up, ‘<em>And “disapproved” is a bit of a strong word.</em>’</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                A week later, Ichigo had finished his training earlier than expected – partially due to Nemu having a better grasp over <em>how</em> to best train him – and had earned a bit of free time. At the moment, the pair of them were simply walking around, when someone called out to them, “Oi, Ichigo! Over here!” Looking over, the duo spotted Tatsuki and Orihime outside a local ice cream joint. As they walked over, Tatsuki asked, “Kurotsuchi-sensei? What’re you doing here?” While the woman was a little odd during classes – particularly in that she never seemed to divide the boys and girls for anything – it didn’t make any sense for her to be spending time with one of her students outside of school.</p><p>                “Kurosaki-san was showing me around town, Arisawa-san,” Nemu answered plainly, “What are you two doing?”</p><p>                Tatsuki nodded in response; the answer <em>did</em> make sense. On the other hand, once or twice over the last week, she swore she’d seen their new gym teacher running around with Ichigo while the latter was dressed in black and carrying a comically oversized sword. That Orihime claimed to have seen the same thing comforted her less than it should. This <em>was</em> the same girl whose essay on her plans for the future involved turning into a mecha after all. “Hime and I decided to get some ice cream,” Pausing for a moment, Tatsuki decided to invite them along, “You guys want to join us? It’s pretty hot for this time of year lately.”</p><p>                Ichigo glanced at Nemu, receiving her usual expressionless gaze in return. Over the last several days, he’d determined that if she didn’t express an opinion, it was because she genuinely didn’t have one on a given subject. While it might be awkward, he <em>was</em> trying to show the woman a brighter side to life when he could. In the end, Ichigo decided to go along with it, “Sure. Sounds good.” And with that, they all headed in. While Ichigo and Tatsuki ordered rather standard dishes of vanilla and chocolate respectively, Orihime showed her usual tastes in food by ordering three scoops of bitter melon, wasabi, and squid ink ice cream. Honestly, Ichigo felt a little nauseous just thinking about it. On the other hand, Nemu seemed completely lost when it came her turn to order. Eventually, Ichigo stepped in, “She’ll take a strawberry cone, please.”</p><p>                After getting their cones, the four of them sat at a table outside, soaking up the sun as they enjoyed their frozen treats. Though after a moment, Ichigo noticed Nemu simply staring at her cone as it started to melt. “You know, if you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it,” He told her quietly. The purple haired woman started slightly, seemingly having forgotten about the others present. After a moment, she shook her head and tentatively mimicked the other three, reaching out to lick up some of her strawberry ice cream. The moment the tasty dessert hit her tongue, Nemu’s eyes lit up in a way he’d never seen before. She quickly took to licking up every bit of ice cream she could. Now, it was Ichigo who wasn’t eating. The way Nemu’s eyes lit up, the soft smile gracing her lips. He’d never seen her like this before. She looked so…. <strong><em>pure</em></strong>. At that moment, the only thought that ran through his mind was, ‘<em>I want to protect that smile.</em>’</p><p>                Within Nemu’s chest, something pulsed as Ichigo made his mental declaration.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next Time: Sado hits a home run and Ichigo sticks it in a milf.</p><p>Good news: I am writing up a test lemon, and depending on reception to it, this story will include lemons. Though don't expect any for quite a while anyway. Also, cookies to whoever realizes where Kagine-sensei is.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lean On Me, When You're Not Strong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sado proves himself overqualified to be a lumberjack, Nemu gets a good look, and Ichigo sticks it in a milf.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The first half of this chapter fought me a lot. Took two weeks to write it, then three days to write the second half.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 3: Lean On Me, When You’re Not Strong</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”<br/><em>‘Thoughts’</em><br/><span class="u">“Zanpakutō”<br/></span><strong>“Hollows/Vizard”</strong></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                It had been just over two weeks since Ichigo’s life had changed forever and – to his own surprise – things were starting to feel almost routine. Wake up, get an eyeful, go to school, slay a couple Hollows, perform some Konsō, go home. Rinse and repeat. Though to be honest, the fact he found fighting soul eating monsters from another world routine was possibly more disturbing than the Hollows themselves. There had to be some sort of universal law against such a thing; like dinosaurs being treated with anything other than awe (or terror for the ones that would gleefully eat you).</p><p>Still, even with his new routine, Ichigo was noticing some interesting changes. First – and perhaps most concerning – was the odd looks he’d started noticing coming from his classmates. Whenever someone thought he wasn’t looking, they’d stare at Ichigo with the strangest expression. Like he was a puzzle missing the last few pieces. Sometimes, he swore they were looking at him when he moved nearby in Shinigami form. Worst of all being the day after purifying Inoue Sora when he’d been out on patrol and spotted Orihime, who waved in his direction. Despite being a spirit at the time, he’d reflexively waved back, only to feel like an idiot when he remembered she couldn’t see him. Or so Ichigo thought until he realized there wasn’t anyone else around that they knew. Compared to that, Uryū’s increasing hostility was outright trivial. Sure, the bespectacled teen seemed to be going out of his way to not talk to him, but he’d always been kind of a dick so Ichigo wasn’t really concerned.</p><p>Less concerning and more <strike>arousing</strike> embarrassing was that Nemu was definitely turning into a cuddler. Initially, she’d slept like a vampire, hands folded over her chest and her body completely straight. It was the kind of thing that would have been amusing if it hadn’t been <em>his </em>bed. It was less like sharing a bed with a person and more like his bed was just narrower. Perhaps it was time spent with him or something else, but over the last two weeks, she’d started sprawling across Ichigo’s body in her sleep. The last two days, Ichigo had woken up with his bedmate’s leg thrown across his body and his arm very firmly hugged to her chest. But as awkward as that was, especially given how the shirts she borrowed often rode up, it was nowhere close to as bad as a few days ago. That time, Ichigo had woken up in the middle of the night to find Nemu laying directly upon him but also turned around. So, while she used his thigh as a pillow, he had gotten a <strong>very</strong> close-up look at a woman’s lower body. The whole situation was so surreal that it had taken the teenager over a week to realize his father wasn’t launching his wakeup attacks anymore, instead lying in wait until Ichigo came downstairs.</p><p>At the moment, Ichigo was exiting the bathroom, thankful that his house had a western style shower as well as a bath. Even if it was his soul rather than his body that got splashed with Hollow blood, he always felt dirty after a patrol. At least this time, he hadn’t come back to his body to find a dog peeing on it. Ichigo headed for his room with his clothes under one arm and towel wrapped around his waist. Since his family was out shopping, he hadn’t seen the need to get dressed immediately. Especially since his pants would be a little tight given that he’d perhaps spent a bit too long thinking on how much he’d seen of Nemu’s lithe body.</p><p>Unfortunately for the teen, he’d been so lost in thought that he forgot he wasn’t <em>actually</em> alone in his house. As he opened the door to his room, Nemu stepped out at the same time, causing the two to bump  into each other. With his still wet feet, Ichigo lost his balance and fell to the floor, unlike Nemu who managed to stay upright. Despite being the one knocked down, Ichigo was quick to apologize, “Sorry Nemu, I forgot you were-“ The strawberry cut himself off as he noticed she wasn’t quite looking at his face. “What’re you looking aaaaaa?!” Following her line of sight, Ichigo saw his towel had come undone when he fell, leaving him exposed and still ‘at attention’ as it were.</p><p>Before he could stammer an apology, Nemu cut in, “Congratulations.” Was it his imagination or was there a hint of something else in her tone? Heedless of his thoughts, the violette continued, “When you’re finished attending to yourself, I request that you accompany me on an errand.” Her piece said, Nemu continued past Ichigo and headed downstairs. ‘Congratulations? <em>She- I- Okay, she </em>has<em> to be fucking with me.</em>’</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Twenty minutes later saw Ichigo following Nemu to some shop she insisted they visit. Although he was desperately trying to ignore the awkward silence, he kinda had the feeling it was only awkward on his end. Trying to get his mind off being caught with his pants down, literally, Ichigo tried to figure out why she needed him along. It certainly wasn’t to carry bags; even in her Gigai, she was still strong enough to manhandle him. As they approached an old-fashioned shop, Ichigo noticed the sign overhead: <strong>Urahara Shop</strong>. The name rang a bell, but it took him a few seconds to remember where he knew it from. “Hey, is this the same Urahara that helped you before?”</p><p>“Indeed. Despite his antics, he knows more about Shinigami and Soul Society than possibly anyone else in the living world. Urahara-san was once a Shinigami himself you see,” Nemu answered, though her usually passive tone carried a tinge of distaste. Just from that, Ichigo could infer that either she had some history with this Urahara, or she just really disliked him in general.</p><p>Ichigo answered, curiosity coloring his tone, “Really? I wasn’t aware Shinigami normally retired to the human world.”</p><p>“They don’t,” Nemu flatly replied.</p><p>Any further conversation was cut off as they entered the store. The shop was remarkably ordinary for a place run by a former Shinigami; the shelves were filled with typical sweets and the whole place was properly cleaned. It took Ichigo several seconds to notice the one thing out of the ordinary: he couldn’t spot a light source in the well-lit shop. Before he could ponder this further, a man in old-fashioned clothing and wooden geta greeted them enthusiastically, “Welcome to my humble shop, my dear customers! I am Urahara Kisuke, owner and proprietor of this store. What can I interest you in today?” Behind him, a trio of children were straightening up the place. A morose looking dark-haired girl swept while two boys, one redhead and one blonde, were moving boxes.</p><p>Nemu promptly answered, her tone flatter than Ichigo had heard since their first training session, “We need Soul Candy for Ichigo. One that can reasonably mimic his sullen personality.”</p><p>Heedless of her tone, the shopkeeper waved a paper fan in front of his face and laughed disarmingly. “Of course, of course! I have just the thing! Just wait here while I go fetch it from the back.” Without waiting for a reply, Urahara promptly turned on his heel and walked through a sliding shoji door on the far wall.</p><p>As soon as the door closed, the blonde boy put down the box he was moving and launched himself at Nemu with a shouted, “Onee-san!” Nemu seemed to barely acknowledge him as she stepped to the side and held out one hand, catching the boy by his face before slamming him to the ground. Ichigo was momentarily shocked by the casual violence against a kid, until the boy spoke up again, showing no regard for the damage he should have taken, “So cold onee-san. I just want to cuddle between your heavenly pillows!” At this, Ichigo decided the brat deserved whatever he got. While he had it on good authority just how amazing Nemu’s body was, the blonde was definitely over the line.</p><p>“Ara ara. Try not to damage my employees too much Kurotsuchi-san~” Urahara’s voice came as he stepped back into the main store, a pez dispenser of all things in his hand. “Here you are; one Gikongan dispenser. Alfred was the closest match I had. If nothing else, he’s good at following directions.” Nemu promptly paid the shopkeeper without a word and gestured for her companion to follow her as she left the store.</p><p>After a few minutes of walking in silence, Nemu handed Ichigo the candy dispenser. “Keep this on you at all times. If you need to leave your body when I’m not available, take one. The Gikon within will expel you from your body and take control until you return.”</p><p>Distracted from his thoughts on the bizarre candy store and its inhabitants, Ichigo replied, “Gikon? You guys can <em>make</em> souls?”</p><p>“Of course,” the violette explained, “Until approximately one hundred and fifty years ago, Shinigami had to use devices such as my glove to expel themselves from their Gigai. However, in doing so, they left their Gigai unattended. To most human methods of observation, an uninhabited Gigai is little different from a fresh corpse, which resulted in countless Gigai being misplaced or destroyed. Hikifune Kirio developed the Gikon to watch over a Shinigami’s Gigai and the Gikongan or Soul Candy to act as an easy and efficient delivery system. The souls themselves are intelligent enough to follow orders and possess the basics of a personality, but little more.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>A few days later, Ichigo was having lunch on the roof with Keigo and Mizuiro, only vaguely listening to Keigo asking if he was into cosplay as he ate. Ichigo was pulled out of his thoughts when Sado joined them. He was swathed in bandages and carrying a bird cage of all things. A small parakeet inside sat inside. While Sado was a much gentler soul than his massive muscular appearance would suggest, he had never seemed like an animal person. So, he asked, “Oi Chad, what happened to you? And what’s with the bird?”</p><p>Sado carefully set the cage down then seated himself before replying, “I got hit by a motorcycle on the way to school this morning. The rider seemed pretty roughed up, so I carried him to the hospital. The bird I got from a friend.”</p><p>“Ok, the motorcycle accident, I get. You’re tough; I know that, everyone does. But someone just gave you a bird?” Ichigo pressed. Internally, he couldn’t help but reflect, ‘<em>Where did I go wrong in life that getting flashed by a ghost lady is normal, but birds are weird?</em>’</p><p>Rather than Sado answering, the parakeet spoke, “Hello, my name is Shibata Yūichi. What’s your name?”</p><p>That simple statement, less than ten words, instantly turned Ichigo’s curiosity into horror. He hadn’t been paying enough attention to notice beforehand, but there was definitely a child’s soul inside that bird. There was no way such a thing just happened naturally. While Keigo and Mizuiro fussed over the parakeet, Ichigo interrogated Sado, “Chad, where exactly did you get that bird?”</p><p>Not knowing why Ichigo seemed so agitated, but understanding it was important somehow, Sado explained, “An acquaintance of mine gave him to me. He said the bird is cursed; that everyone who owns it is gruesomely killed shortly after.” At this, Ichigo’s eyes widened further and he suddenly sprinted off without a word, leaving behind a confused giant.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                “Nemu!” Ichigo called as he burst into the teacher’s lounge. Thankfully it was empty of anyone but the Shinigami woman he sought. Startled from the book she was reading, the young woman looked up at the almost alarmingly frazzled teenager. Before she could ask what had him so out-of-sorts, Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders and started rapidly demanding, “Nemu! Tell me, is it possible to put someone’s soul in another body?! Not like that Soul Candy you bought, but an actual soul!”</p><p>                Remaining calm as was her wont , Nemu replied, “Certainly. Although under most circumstances, it requires more effort than it’s worth, particularly as the soul will eventually be ejected from the new body. Why are you asking?” Knowing Ichigo, it wasn’t an academic question but something relevant to the immediate situation. He wasn’t unintelligent but the substitute had a clear preference for practical knowledge. In a way, it made sense, particularly in regard to Shinigami. He certainly had no use for knowing the five (now four) noble houses of Soul Society nor the requirements to become captain of a division. His focus was on information that would help him perform his duties rather than superfluous and frankly irrelevant knowledge.</p><p>                Taking a breath to steady himself, Ichigo explained, “Chad’s parakeet. It has a child’s soul in it. I don’t know how or why but it can’t be good. I need to exorcise it right away.”</p><p>                Humming in thought, Nemu considered his words, “A human soul inside a bird? I believe I remember a report about such an incident recently. Details were sparse, due to both a Hollow consuming the Shinigami involved and fath- Mayuri-sama finding such information uninteresting. ‘The parlor trick of a petty charlatan’ he called it. Regardless, if you’re correct, we should perform a Konsō immediately. You have Alfred with you, I presume?” At Ichigo’s confirmation, she continued, “Then once you’re in your Shinigami form, we’ll perform the Konsō and- what is it?” For Ichigo’s expression had suddenly changed from attentive yet anxious to alarmed.</p><p>                “Chad’s gone! I can’t sense him anywhere in the area!” Ichigo exclaimed. His perpetual scowl deepened as the teenager concentrated. “C’mon. C’mon! Where are you?” Even as he spoke, white ribbons formed in the air around him, trailing away in every direction. After several seconds, Ichigo grabbed one in particular and triumphantly declared, “There you are!” Acting quickly, Ichigo took out his Soul Candy dispenser and popped one of the candies. As his Shinigami form was ejected from his body, his body’s scowl relaxed into a more placid expression. While he did, Nemu watched on, surprised and impressed at Ichigo’s progress. Manifesting spirit ribbons was more advanced than most techniques she’d shown him so far. She hadn’t even thought to show him the technique, honestly. Unaware of his trainer’s thoughts, Ichigo quickly ordered the soul inhabiting his body, “Alfred! Just do the usual; attend class and don’t talk to anyone unless you have to!”</p><p>                Without waiting for confirmation, both Ichigo and Nemu rushed out the door, leaving behind the Gikon to snark, “Of course, sir. Shall I draw you a bath as well?” Nonetheless, Alfred followed his instructions and headed towards class as he heard the bell signaling the end of lunch.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Sado Yasutora was not having a good day. Even without the motorcycle accident and the girder incident – which admittedly was a bit unusual even for him, and he regularly got attacked by street toughs – he was being hunted by some mostly invisible monster. A monster that apparently wanted his parakeet. …It made less sense every time he thought it. Regardless, he had been at lunch when Yūichi said the monster was coming and begged him to run. Now here he was, doing his best to stay a few steps ahead, but it wasn’t easy. Not helping matters was that the monster could apparently fly, at least from what he could hear and the distorted shape he sometimes caught a glimpse of. Still, Sado knew that whatever it was, he could hurt it if he got lucky. He’d swung wildly earlier and felt his fist collide with something solid. Unfortunately, his attempts accomplished little beyond angering the creature. Even without the shouts of rage he was starting to hear, the hulking teenager saw more shapes now. They were smaller ones that leapt about and tried to swarm him, rather than the one big mirage-like distortion. At this rate, it was only a question of whether his stamina or his luck would run out first.</p><p>The big one crashed down nearly on top of Sado once more. Concentrating on what he could see, the muscular teenager launched a right hook at the rough direction of the monster’s face. He was rewarded with a punishing blow to his ribs, sending him flying into a telephone and knocking Yūichi’s cage out of his other hand. The furious monster roared in pain, “<strong>Son of a bitch! Right in my fucking eye, you insect!</strong>”</p><p>As Sado shakily rose to his feet, Yūichi called out, “Look out mister! He’s flying now!” Sure enough, he could make out the telltale haze in the air above him, although several of the smaller ones were on the fences lining the street. Turning and wrapping his arms around the pole, the teenager <strong>broke it off its base</strong> to wield it like a giant club. Swinging it around himself, he demolished the fences and smacked away the smaller creatures at the same time before, with a tremendous heave of effort, he slammed the entire telephone pole down on the invisible sadist.</p><p>This was the scene Ichigo and Nemu arrived at. Incredulously, Ichigo turned to his companion and asked, “Does he even need our help?” In response, Nemu moved her hand in a “so-so” gesture, a rather deadpan look on her face even for her.</p><p>With a shout that was equal parts pain and fury, the Hollow yelled, “<strong>No! I will not be killed by some brat again! That little fuck may have killed me after I gutted his bitch of a mother like a fish, but no one is gonna stop me from having my revenge! I was an infamous serial killer before that little shit pushed me off that balcony! Now I’m going to spend my afterlife making him suffer! Him and anyone stupid enough to help him!!</strong>” With that, the smaller, frog-like creature suddenly started spraying leeches everywhere. Unable to properly see them, Sado found himself covered in the things. “<strong>Ha! Now that you’re covered in my leeches, this will be over in moments! Once I use my tongue to send out a special sound, they’ll detonate, blowing you to pieces!</strong>”</p><p>However, as the Hollow stuck out his tongue, Ichigo flashed forward, his Zanpakutō coming down to slice off the spirit’s tongue. Sado’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the hazy form of his friend in a black robe. While the person’s form was still transparent and blurred around the edges, he was certain it was Ichigo. “So, you like picking on those weaker than yourself, do you? Well, let’s see how you handle someone who can fight back properly!” In a panic, the Hollow attempted to fly away. Taking his left hand off his Zanpakutō, Ichigo pointed it at the fleeing Hollow and chanted, “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" From his hand shot a glowing rope of energy launched out to bind his target, pinning his arms and legs together. With a heave, Ichigo slammed the murderous spirit into the pavement blow, shattering both the street and the Hollow’s bones. Prepared to purify the Hollow that threatened one of his friends, Ichigo approached his downed form and raised his blade high.</p><p>“<em><span class="u">Hold,</span></em>” An unknown voice came from seemingly nowhere; it sounded vaguely feminine. As Ichigo looked around in confusion, neither Nemu nor Sado reacted to the new voice. Almost willing to dismiss it as his imagination, the strawberry heard the voice again, “<em><span class="u">His death does not belong to you, but to the child he murdered. Give your blade to your tall companion; as the child’s guardian, he shall carry out this execution in his stead.</span></em>”</p><p>Confused but understanding the logic, Ichigo called out to Sado, “Chad, catch!” With a casual toss, his Zanpakutō flew through the air. Despite the surrealness of the situation, the massive brunette still managed to catch the sword with one hand, only to nearly topple over at its surprising weight. While it was an inordinately large blade – only somewhat shorter than Ichigo himself – the strawberry casually carried it onehanded while Sado himself needed both hands to maneuver it. As he steadied himself, he heard Ichigo continue, “He’s all yours. Just give him one good slash down the center of his head.” Trusting in his friend, he did just that, arms straining as he swung the oversized katana down on the monster that tormented him and Yūichi.</p><p>To the shock of one of the teens, the hollow did not disperse harmlessly into particles the moment the sword passed through the Hollow’s skull. Instead, to the shock of <em>both</em> of them, a massive gate arose from the ground. It was huge, easily six meters tall, with a skeletal torso sticking out of each side of it. After a moment, the two skeletons each pulled on their half of the gate, slowly forcing the metal doors open. As the door opened, an empty void appeared beyond it, multiple ropes covered in charms keeping the gate from opening entirely. Out of the void, a colossal arm covered in tattoos and wielding a tanto larger than any of them sprung forth and impaled the fatally injured Hollow. Above the arm, further within the void, an eye opened and peered down at them, its gaze was as malevolent as it was ancient. “<strong><em>Kehehehe</em></strong>.” A sinister chuckle issued forth from the arms owner, loud and deep enough to rattle their bones and so malicious that it felt like it chilled their souls. After another moment, the arm withdrew with its prize, allowing the gates to close once more. It dispersed, taking with it the ominous atmosphere .</p><p>More rattled than he’d been since facing his first Hollow, Ichigo muttered, “Wha- what the hell was that?” The moment that eye looked at him, he’d felt like a child standing before the Yamata no Orochi as it decided which head would be allowed to devour him.</p><p>“Exactly that,” Nemu’s voice came. For once, she sounded just as shaken as Ichigo himself, “Hell. That Hollow claimed to have been a serial killer in life. A Zanpakutō can only cleanse a Hollow of sins it committed after death, so he was dragged to Hell as punishment for his crimes. As for that creature, I don’t know. No one does. All we know is that it is responsible for taking souls to Hell and that it seems unable to truly leave.” With visible effort, the violette changed the subject, “But enough about that. It’s time to perform the Konsō.” She kneeled before the bird cage and addressed the parakeet within, her tone and expression both gentler than Ichigo could ever recall, “Hello Shibata Yūichi. My name is Kurotsuchi Nemu. My partner here is going to send you to Soul Society, where you can live peacefully and without fear.”</p><p>Hesitantly, the boy asked her, “W-will I see my mom again? In Soul Society?”</p><p>Gentle smile still in place, she answered, “Of course you will. The two of you will be reunited again and you’ll never lack for food or comfort either.” At her gesture, Ichigo approached, the hilt of his Zanpakutō already softly glowing with power (he’d improved significantly from his first disastrous Konsō). With a gentle tap, young Yūichi’s soul was ejected from the parakeet. As he faded away, the boy smiled happily and waved at Sado.</p><p>As Sado was distracted, Nemu used her Kikanshinki to promptly erase his memories. Taking her cue, Ichigo quickly followed the woman as the two fled the scene. Once they were a fair distance away, Ichigo couldn’t help but ask, “Was all that true? What you told Yūichi about Soul Society?”</p><p>In response, Nemu sighed almost inaudibly. She knew Ichigo wouldn’t appreciate hearing the truth about Soul Society. “That would depend on your interpretation,” Nemu replied, “While he could potentially reunite with his mother, there are a total of 320 districts in Soul Society and where a soul arrives is completely random. Not to mention a soul’s memories of their past life fade with time; eventually, he will completely forget about his mother. As for a peaceful life? If he arrives in or finds his way to one of the lower numbered districts, he’ll be fine. Should Yūichi arrive in the likes of Kusajishi or Zaraki, he is unfortunately in for an extremely violent and bloody afterlife. Though it is true, he’ll never lack for food. Any soul without sufficient Reiryoku doesn’t require any food at all.”</p><p>Shocked by her blunt assessment, Ichigo grabbed Nemu’s shoulder and spun her around. “Then why did you lie to him about all that?!” He demanded, “Why tell him how great Soul Society is if parts of it are even worse than anywhere on Earth?!”</p><p>As usual, Nemu’s reply was as blunt as it was factual, “Because the truth would have made your job more difficult. There is nothing to be gained from informing a child he could be on his way to a warzone.” She paused a moment before continuing, her tone softer, “Besides, Soul Society isn’t perfect, but it’s all we have.”</p><p>Not satisfied with her response, Ichigo insisted, “Then I’ll change it. I’ll fight until Soul Society truly is the heaven you told him it was.”</p><p>With one of her mysterious smiles, Nemu simply said, “I’ll hold you to that, Ichigo-san.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Just shy of three weeks later, and over a month since Nemu functionally moved into his room, Ichigo awoke slowly and contentedly. While it had taken some adjustment, he no longer minded sharing his bed with the Shinigami woman. Indeed, he felt more rested these days, even when you factored in the time spent purifying Hollows and performing Konsō. It certainly helped that Ichigo had finally figured out how to keep the violette from wandering too much in her sleep. By keeping an arm around her waist, he insured Nemu didn’t move much more than throwing a leg over his body. If he sometimes woke up to find his palm overflowing with one of her plump cheeks, well he certainly wasn’t complaining, nor did Nemu ever remark upon it.</p><p>Sadly, his contentment was shattered as the significance of today dawned upon him. Tomorrow was the anniversary of the worst day of his life; the day he got his mother killed. A quiet voice cut through Ichigo’s self-recrimination, “What is troubling you, Ichigo-san?” A glance downward showed Nemu gazing up at him through eyes far more alert than his own. One thing that hadn’t changed in the previous weeks, Nemu was always awake instantly and fully. He didn’t think she knew the meaning of the word ‘drowsy.’</p><p>Rather than answer, Ichigo evaded her question, “Could- could I have tomorrow off? There’s something important I have to do.”</p><p>Taking a moment to consider his request, Nemu responded, “You have been unquestionably diligent for the last 37 days. One day off shouldn’t cause significant problems, provided you are extra thorough the day before and after.” Even as Ichigo opened his mouth to thank her, Nemu moved quick as a flash, now straddling Ichigo and pinning his hands on either side of his head. “However, you didn’t answer my question.” Try as he might, Ichigo couldn’t dislodge the woman atop him, her strength still superior to his even in her Gigai. Gently, Nemu pried, “Is it about your mother’s death?”</p><p>Ichigo stopped his struggling in shock, stammering out, “How do you know about that?”</p><p>“It wasn’t hard Ichigo-san. A mother that’s never mentioned but has a two-meter poster downstairs? Also, just like how I found your school, I learned about it when I looked up your records,” she matter-of-factly explained. In a softer tone, she continued, “I know about your mother’s gruesome death nine years ago and that you had to witness it. It’s alright, Ichigo-san.”</p><p>“It’s not alright!” The teenager shouted, almost snarling, “It’s my fault! I’m the reason mom is dead!” His eyes widened even as his mouth clicked shut, clearly not having to meant to say so much. After several long seconds of silence, Ichigo reluctantly continued, “I’ve always been able to see ghosts. Or at least, I can’t remember ever not being able to see them. But when I was younger, I had a harder time telling them apart from normal people. One day, mom and I were walking home from the dojo. It was pouring rain that day; the river was close to overflowing. On the walk home, I saw a little girl. She was standing right on the edge of the river embankment. I just… I didn’t want her to fall in, so I ran towards her, trying to help. Mom screamed something and then I blacked out. When I woke up, mom was… she was…” As Ichigo trailed off, Nemu took her hands off his wrists and lifted him up to a sitting position. Wrapping her arms around him, she held the teen against her chest as he sobbed. His arms came up to wrap around her as well. Without looking towards the violette’s face, Ichigo continued, struggling but clearly needing to finish, “Mom was lying on top of me. There was blood everywhere! She died because of me! <em>It’s all my fault!</em>”</p><p>Running her hand through his hair, Nemu gently disagreed, “No, Ichigo-san; it wasn’t. You were just a small child back then. Weren’t you the one who told me that family protects each other? That parents protect their children? From what I’ve heard from your family, your mother loved all of you more than words can say. Whether she was aware of whatever danger took her life, I’m sure she’d have gladly given her life for you. For her child.” After a few more minutes, Ichigo’s shaking subsided and Nemu was certain she had gotten through to him. “Now come, you’re not going into school today as you are, but some training might help you work through your emotions better,” At this, Nemu paused before continuing in a much lighter tone, “Though, given how hard you’re poking me, perhaps you need some alone time first?”</p><p>Pulling back from her bust, Ichigo squawked in embarrassment and indignation even as she dismounted. Once she had dressed and left through the window, Nemu frowned in thoughtful concern. <em>‘If Ichigo-san really did have enough Reiryoku to see spirits at such a young age, it was likely a Hollow that killed his mother in an attempt to consume him. Still, it’s best I keep such hypotheses to myself for now. Ichigo-san already blames himself enough.’</em></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Having reached a level Nemu deemed acceptable in his Bakudō skills, Ichigo was instead drilled on high speed movement and proper sword technique. For speed, Nemu explained the basics of shunpo, though she clarified that even managing a rudimentary version would be implausible in the short term. Regardless, by learning how to channel Reiryoku through his feet, the strawberry managed to increase his speed significantly. The harder part was actually maneuvering at such speeds, something Nemu drilled into him by making Ichigo weave around concrete dividers in the Sukari building’s parking lot while she threw rocks at him.</p><p>When it came time to learn how to fight properly, Nemu unveiled wooden replicas of their Zanpakutō. However, Ichigo couldn’t help but notice something off about his. “Hey Nemu, why’s mine so small? My Zanpakutō is bigger than this!”</p><p>Glancing over, Nemu corrected him, “It used to be. Hold them side by side.” Following her instructions, Ichigo was surprised to see she was right; his Zanpakutō was not only several centimeters shorter than he remembered, it had also lost about a third of its width. Not to mention, the tsuba had changed as well. Gone was the plain rectangular tsuba that had decorated his blade. In its place was a circular guard with six stylized waves decorating it. Sensing his confusion, Nemu explained, “A Shinigami’s Zanpakutō is formed from their soul. While initially, they appear as generic katana, over time a Zanpakutō evolves in its form. This signals both that a Shinigami is coming into their powers and that their Zanpakutō spirit has formed, making it possible for them to begin training to learn Shikai.”</p><p>“Shikai? Zanpakutō spirits? The hell are you talking about?” Ichigo’s confusion was palpable as Nemu brought up these new concepts for the first time. Honestly, he couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t mentioned them before if they were apparently so important.</p><p>“Your Zanpakutō is more than a sword. It is a fragment of your soul, Ichigo-san. As such, each Zanpakutō has its own name, heart, and personality,” Once more, Nemu had slipped into Lecture Mode as Ichigo dubbed it. At times like this, it was hard not to picture her in a blouse and pencil skirt with glasses perched on her nose. Mentally shaking his head, he listened as she spoke, “Learning your Zanpakutō’s name allows you to activate its Shikai, altering its form and enhancing its abilities. For some, that is the extent of the change. For example, Madarame Ikkaku’s Zanpakutō turns into a three sectioned staff that can masquerade as a spear. Others gain a special ability of some sort, such as increasing the weight of whatever they strike or granting control over a particular element. Regardless, achieving Shikai is a significant milestone for a Shinigami and required if one wishes to ascend the ranks.”</p><p>Though certainly interested overall, one bit stuck out in particular for Ichigo and that was what he questioned, “Shikai? The name implies there’s more than one release. Also, I just remembered; when Chad fought that Hollow the other week, I heard a woman’s voice I didn’t recognize. She told me to let Chad purify the Hollow.”</p><p>Her eyes wide in shock, Nemu remarked, “Indeed? That was likely your Zanpakutō spirit. That you can hear it already is very unusual, though not entirely unheard of. It is, however, another sign that you are progressing towards learning your Zanpakutō’s name. And to answer your first question, there is indeed another release – known as Bankai – which releases the full power of a Zanpakutō. However, Bankai requires a several years of specialized training to obtain then several more to master. On average, Bankai training requires a full decade and it is rarely obtained within less than fifty years after becoming a Shinigami. To be frank, it is not something you need to concern yourself with.” With this, Nemu raised her wooden wakizashi and took up a fighting stance, “For now, concern yourself with surviving.”</p><p>And thus, their spar began. While Ichigo’s wilder and more instinctive style had served adequately against the Hollows he’d faced, Nemu insisted that smarter and more skilled opponents would take advantage of any openings he left. As they fought, she easily proved her point by striking with her offhand, legs, or even her head whenever Ichigo tried to get into a blade lock with her. Though his weapon had superior reach, Nemu had been a lieutenant before his mother was born. Her skill allowed her to avoid his blade with ease, forcing Ichigo to control his strikes better and tighten his guard.</p><p>After nearly an hour, Nemu apparently decided his progress was sufficient for the day. That or she simply got bored of holding back. With a sharp strike to his wrist, she easily disarmed Ichigo before performing a handspring to kick him in the chest with both feet, sending the teen flying. Finally, the violette launched herself at the substitute as he fell towards the ground. The pair landed, Ichigo on his back and Nemu atop him, her knees on either side of his head and her wooden blade resting against his heart. But for Ichigo, the stick poking his chest and the aches and pains of his body were all secondary to one thing: the fact his nose was pressed rather firmly against Nemu’s panties. “Well done indeed, Ichigo-san,” Nemu panted, clearly out of breath despite appearing completely at ease, “After your patrol, we’ll head back for dinner. …Also, do get your breathing under control if you could. It tickles.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                The next day, the Kurosaki family headed for the graveyard where Masaki’s ashes were buried. Nemu had made herself scarce, not even staying long enough to grab breakfast. When asked, Nemu merely told Ichigo to keep Alfred on hand and that she’d be nearby but out of the way, just in case. Indeed, looking around, Ichigo didn’t see anyone else at the graveyard besides someone in a formal mourning kimono but they were too far for him to make out any details. Putting them out of his mind, Ichigo turned his attention back to his family. His father was being more obnoxious than usual, something that drove Ichigo mad in previous years, but which he now realized was just the man trying to keep their spirits up. Karin was quickly growing annoyed by Isshin’s antics, but Yuzu seemed to be enjoying them.</p><p>                Sometimes, Ichigo wondered if his sisters had it easier when it came to their mother’s death. They had been so young at the time that they barely remembered the woman. On the other hand, it also meant they didn’t have the happier memories to draw on that Ichigo had. It had been especially rough those first few months after Masaki’s death. Isshin had tried his best to be strong for his children, but it was obvious the man was falling apart. Ichigo himself hadn’t been any better, spending hours or even days at a time walking along that stretch of the river, hoping to see his mother’s ghost. For a time, the Kurosaki family had relied heavily on the charity of Ishida Ryūken, Masaki’s cousin. While they hadn’t needed any financial help, Ryūken lending them the services of his maid, one Shinozaki Sayako, had kept them functional long enough for the two Kurosaki men to pull themselves together. Ichigo stopped trying to find Masaki’s spirit and started taking care of his little sisters while Isshin threw himself into providing for his children with renewed vigor.</p><p>                So lost in his memories was he, that Ichigo barely realized how far they’d walked until they passed by the mourner he’d spotted earlier. Up close, he could tell they were a woman in her early 20s or so, but it wasn’t until she turned her head, that Ichigo realized the woman in question was Nemu. Despite having seen her in her Shinigami robes before, somehow she seemed unrecognizable with her hair tied up in an intricate bun and held in place with ornate hair clips. True to her word, Nemu didn’t approach, merely nodding her head as they passed before turning back to the grave in front of her. Curious, Ichigo tried to read the names on the headstone as he walked by, but the names were too faded to read in passing.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                It was now late afternoon and the sky threatened rain, so the Kurosaki family were getting ready to head home. However, as Isshin looked around, he noticed one of their number was missing. Worse, he could sense a foul presence in the air. ‘<em>Damn it. I still can’t access my powers yet. It couldn’t have waited just a couple more months?!’</em> Without showing his distress, the Kurosaki patriarch called out to his son, “Ichigo! I think Karin’s still further up the hill; why don’t you go get her? Yuzu and I will meet you down by the entrance.” Even as he spoke, Isshin gathered up his other daughter and headed downhill, away from the Hollow he could sense. <em>‘I don’t like it, but I can at least keep one of my children safe. Besides, Ichigo’s grown a lot stronger since Kurotsuchi-chan first empowered him; he should be up to it. And if it’s who I think it is… Yeah, Ichigo needs the closure. If things start going badly, Kisuke owes me more than a few favors; he can get here in a few minutes.’</em></p><p>                Annoyed by his father volunteering him like that, Ichigo nonetheless started moving towards the forest at the top of the hill, grumbling only slightly as he went. His father could be so irresponsible sometimes, just making one of his kids look after another. The strawberry was almost halfway there when he felt it: a malevolence that could only belong to a Hollow. And it was coming from the same direction he could sense Karin in! Ichigo’s lackadaisical stroll immediately turned into a frantic sprint as he raced towards his little sister’s location. <em>‘No! Nonono! Not again! Never again!!’</em></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Moments prior, Karin was aimlessly wandering through the trees, partially to get away from her father’s antics but mostly just to have some alone time. Though she mourned her mother just as much as the rest of her family did, she wasn’t comfortable doing so in public. She preferred to be alone when she cried for the mother she barely remembered. A flash of color in the corner of her eye caught Karin’s attention. Turning her head, the preteen saw a young girl around her age a little ways off. Despite refusing to acknowledge spirits, Karin still knew one when she saw one. Casually approaching, Karin called out to the young ghost, “Hey! If you need help with some spiritual stuff, the local priest lives at the bottom of the hill.” As she spoke, Karin gestured with her thumb back towards the graveyard.</p><p>                The girl turned to look at her in apparent surprise, “Oh? You can see me?” Her voice sounded a little unusual, but Karin wasn’t one to judge. For all she knew, the girl had a cold before she died. She could still remember Ichigo complaining about a ghost who insisted a rash he had in life still itched even after he died.</p><p>                Sighing slightly, Karin confirmed the spirit’s thoughts as she moved closer, “Yeah, I can. Just don’t tell anyone, would ya? My brother gets enough hassle from ghost as-“ Karin trailed off as she stared transfixed at a new shape behind the girl. While it was too hazy to see properly, the brunette could nonetheless make out something like a giant skull leering down at her. “Wh-what the fuck is that behind you?”</p><p>                The young ghost’s expression shifted from surprise to something far more predatory. When she answered, her voice echoed like someone else was speaking at the same time, “Oh my, you can even see that, can you? I bet you’re going to be delicious.” Before she could even turn to flee, something invisible wrapped around Karin’s ankle and dragged her closer to the monster. Once she was close enough, she was lifted into the air to dangle upside down before the two spirits. As rain finally started falling from the sky, the thing pretending to be a little girl grabbed her future meal by her hair before licking her cheek. “Oh yes, very delicious indeed. I think I’ll take my time eating you; I want to savor every. Last. <strong>Bite</strong>.” With that, Karin was raised higher still. She could more easily see the second spirit now, most of its body was covered in thick green fur except for a massive bone white mask. Unfortunately, being able to see her killer was little comfort as she dangled her over its open mouth.</p><p>                “Get the fuck away from her!” With a roar, Ichigo crashed into the clearing, already in his Shinigami form. His Zanpakutō lanced out twice, slicing the rope of fur binding Karin and gouging a line in the Hollow’s mask. Grabbing his little sister in one hand, Ichigo threw her to Alfred as the Gikon arrived in his body. “Take Karin back to my family! Protect them with your life!” For the first time since Ichigo had met him, Alfred didn’t offer an ounce of sass and merely sprinted back towards the graveyard with Karin in his arms.</p><p>                “<strong>Shinigami scum! You’ll pay for stealing my meal</strong>,” The Hollow growled though both mouths, “<strong>I’ve been devouring your kind for over half a century, boy! You don’t have a prayer</strong>.”</p><p>                As Ichigo finally registered the appearance of his opponents, he froze in shock. “You?! You’re the girl from the river all those years ago!” How could she be here? Why was she working with a Hollow? A billion questions raced through Ichigo’s mind. Thankfully, training under Nemu had paid dividends, allowing him to block the Hollow’s claws even while distracted.</p><p>                “<strong>Hm? Have we met before, boy? You don’t look familiar, but maybe I should take a closer <em>look</em>!</strong>” On that last word, the Hollow’s claws suddenly extended drastically, seeking to impale Ichigo. The substitute quickly jumped backwards as he deflected the attack.</p><p>                Squaring his stance, Ichigo roared back, “You were the one who killed my mother, weren’t you, you bastard?!”</p><p>                Of all the responses he could’ve received, the one Ichigo got was perhaps the least expected. The Hollow laughed. It started as a quiet chuckle, but quickly grew into a full-blown howl of amusement. “<strong>Do you have the <em>slightest</em> idea how little that narrows it down? I am the Grand Fisher. I’ve eaten countless women over the years. You? You’re nothing special.</strong>” With a roar of fury, Ichigo charged Grand Fisher, seeking to end the one who slaughtered his mother. The monster who destroyed his family. Yet, although his rage gave power to his attacks, they also made him sloppy. Grand Fisher parried each strike again and again. With a great leap, the Hollow soared above Ichigo before extending its fur outward, quickly enclosing Ichigo. The teen furiously hacked away at the tendrils of fur as they approached, but they were like steel cables. Eventually, one of his legs was ensnared. Even as Ichigo cut through the hair binding his leg, more bound his remaining limbs, allowing Grand Fisher to draw him closer to its open, slavering maw. Though he struggled to break free, Ichigo felt this was going to be his end, devoured by the same Hollow that killed his mother.</p><p>                Suddenly, Grand Fisher released his body with a howl of agony, “<strong>You goddamn bitch! You dare!?</strong>” As Ichigo quickly brought himself to his feet, he saw Nemu sitting atop Grand Fisher’s neck, soaking wet from the pouring rain. Her kimono was torn off at her thighs and her face was contorted with hatred as she drove her hair pins deeper into the Hollow’s eyes. The monstrosity thrashed wildly as it tried to throw her off, but she managed to hold on with just her legs. Unfortunately, even as Ichigo rushed to capitalize on his opponent’s weakness, a tendril of fur finally grabbed the violette and flung her into a nearby tree, before one of its claws managed to pierce Ichigo’s shoulder.</p><p>                Ichigo recovered quickly and hacked off the offending limb, reveling in the Hollow’s pained cry. But any enjoyment he had was quickly obliterated by Grand Fisher’s next move. Its eyes regenerated and with its remaining hand, the Hollow grabbed the little girl even as some sort of tentacle sprouted from its head and connected with the top of hers. When its hand came away, the girl was replaced with the spitting image of Ichigo’s mother, Kurosaki Masaki. “<strong>This is how I’ve eaten so many Shinigami, whelp. Everyone has someone they could never harm. I use my claws to search their memories for that person and have my lure assume their form.</strong>” As terrible as the idea of fighting his mother was, it became so much worse when she spoke, sounding just like he remembered, “Well Ichi-kun? Are you really going to kill your own mother <em>again</em>?”</p><p>                Those words cut right through him; far deeper than any physical injury he’d suffered before, sapping him of all will to fight. She was right. He’d killed his mother before; he couldn’t bear to do so a second time. Ichigo found himself frozen even as the facsimile of his mother drew closer. His Zanpakutō lowered towards the ground, allowing her to wrap him up in a hug. He couldn’t move even as a voice in his head screamed in desperation, “<em><span class="u">Move, you fool! Kill the enemy!</span></em>” Ichigo remained unmoving, right up until Grand Fisher impaled him and Masaki both on its arm. As the bloodied limb was removed, Ichigo fall flat on his face, blood pooling around his form and mixing with the excess rainwater on the ground.</p><p>                <strong>“Hehehe. Foolish sentimental brat. You really never had a chance. Thanks to searching your memories, I <em>do</em> remember you now. I should thank you, really. Your mother was positively mouth-watering, so succulent and ripe,”</strong> Grand Fisher leered, reminiscing on one of the most delicious meals it had ever enjoyed, <strong>“In fact, once I’ve devoured you, I think I’ll pay your sisters a visit as well. I’m sure they’ll both be delicious.”</strong></p><p>The threat to his still living family managed to stir Ichigo, but he was still weak, still critically injured. But then he heard a woman’s voice calling to him, “Don’t give up, Ichigo! You’re better than this! You’re better than that monster!” Renewed vigor filled him and Ichigo forced himself to his feet. Even as his opponent reared back in surprise, Ichigo swung his blade down with a loud cry. Though Grand Fisher managed to partially dodge, it still had both of its limbs severed on its left side. Not giving the monster a moment to breathe, Ichigo pressed the assault, hacking and slicing at every piece of the Hollow he could reach, ignoring his own wounds in his fury.</p><p>                Grand Fisher snarled, <strong>“Bastard! You think you’ve won?! This isn’t over, not by a long shot!”</strong> Suddenly, the Hollow’s injured body flowed into the fake Masaki, causing her body to strain and bulge. Once the two bodies had become one, the Hollow sneered victoriously with Masaki’s face, <strong>“You fool! Both my lure and my body are my real body! And now that I’ve taken the form of your precious whore of a mother, you won’t be able to raise a hand against me again!”</strong></p><p>                Rather than freeze again, Ichigo instead raged, “You bastard! You dare defile my mother’s image like that! Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!” Six beams of light slammed into the deformed caricature of Kurosaki Masaki, freezing Grand Fisher in place no matter how it struggled. Ichigo strode forward, coming to a stop before the demented abomination masquerading in his mother’s form, prepared to end it once and for all. With a loud roar of anguish and hatred, he swung his Zanpakutō straight through Grand Fisher, bisecting the Hollow with a spray of nasty blood. He panted as he felt the euphoria of finally avenging his mother.</p><p>                His vengeance complete, Ichigo started pitching forward, only to be caught in another’s arms. He swore he could smell her scent as his mother’s voice spoke, “It wasn’t your fault; it was never your fault. I’m so proud of you, my darling baby boy. Look after your sisters for me, Ichi-kun. And please, don’t join me on the other side for a long time.” In his mother’s arms, Ichigo finally received the absolution he needed to truly heal from her passing.</p><p>                Just before he passed out, Ichigo swore he heard another voice, one he didn’t quite recognize, “Thank you, Shinigami. And… I’m sorry.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                As Ichigo lost consciousness, Nemu rushed forward to help him. She quickly reached his unconscious form but without her powers, she had no way to heal him. Just as panic began to set in, a new voice spoke up, “Oh my my. Perhaps I can be of some assistance?” In a flash, Nemu grabbed Ichigo’s Zanpakutō as she looked towards the newcomer. “Now, now. No need for that.” Before her stood Urahara Kisuke, fan held in front of his face to hide his obnoxious smile. His smile quickly dropped as the shopkeeper took in Ichigo’s critically injured form, “Isshin sent for me when he sensed Ichigo-san’s Reiryoku dropping. I might have been too late to help, but I can patch him up just fine.” Hesitantly, Nemu nodded and lowered the borrowed Zanpakutō. Even as he got to work, Urahara let out a low whistle, “That boy sure had a number done on him. He’ll be feeling this in the morning.”</p><p>                After several tense minutes of work, Urahara declared Ichigo stable enough to return to his body, stating that he would be just fine so long as he didn’t get into any fights for a couple days. Shortly after he left, Ichigo briefly regained consciousness. The sight that greeted him was Nemu’s face staring down at him, her loose hair forming a damp curtain around them as she gazed upon him with such monumental relief it made his heart ache. With great effort, Ichigo got out, “Sorry for worrying you, Nemu.”</p><p>                Should anyone else ask, Nemu would insist the water on her face was from the rain. And if her voice sounded ragged, it was just internal damage from hitting her back against a tree. Regardless, she held Ichigo’s head in her lap as she replied, “Let’s go home, Ichigo-san.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: The Kikanshinki is that little device Rukia uses in canon to erase memories. Like a Neuralyzer from Men In Black, but less reliable. The reason Ichigo was able to strike Grand Fisher even after it used Migration to inhabit its lure, which was still in Masaki’s form, is because doing so greatly distorts the lure’s appearance (look it up on the wiki), which lets Ichigo see past the illusion. And yes, Ichigo’s Zanpakutō having a feminine voice does mean he’s not getting Zangetsu. Sorry, not sorry. I like Zangetsu, but I felt it too good an opportunity to give Ichigo something new.</p><p>Next time on Dragonball Z! Ichigo gets into a dick measuring contest and one of his friends proves to be a scaly.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. One Breath Provokes A Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 4: One Breath Provokes a Storm</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”<br/>
<em>‘Thoughts’</em><br/>
<span class="u">“Zanpakutō”<br/>
</span><strong>“Hollows/Vizard”</strong></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Ever since Ichigo had slain Grand Fisher and – more importantly – been reassured that his mother didn’t blame him for her death, he had never felt lighter. A weight he’d spent the last six years carrying had been lifted from his shoulders. Though right now, some of his good mood was ruined as he and Nemu left the movies, having just seen the horror movie; Marebito. To say his brain hurt trying to figure out what actually happened would be an understatement. Nemu wasn’t much better off, “I don’t understand. Why would he feed his daughter blood? The human body can’t survive off that for any length of time.”</p><p>                Shaking his head, Ichigo replied, “I think the whole story is supposed to be ambiguous. Was F a vampire? Was Masuoka insane? Generally, if the movie doesn’t tell you, it’s because they want you to decide for yourself.” Honestly, the strawberry was starting to regret having chosen to see the movie; he always hated movies designed to screw with your head, especially ambiguous endings, which just felt like a cheap copout to him. Shaking off his distaste, he turned to his companion? Friend? Other? ‘<em>Now that I think on it, what are we to each other? I’m pretty sure we aren’t dating but Nemu’s more than a friend.</em>’ Once more pulling himself out of his thoughts, Ichigo addressed Nemu, “Hey, we’ve got some time before we have to go home. You want to go get some ice cream?” The way Nemu’s eyes lit up in delight told him that yes, she absolutely wanted some ice cream.</p><p>                Before they could go any further, something streaked towards them. Moving instinctually, Ichigo moved to the side, channeled Reiryoku to his hand, and punched the object as it passed. The object in question turned out to be an… arrow? An arrow apparently made out of Reishi. As it careened into the sky, both turned towards the direction the arrow had come from. Some fifty meters away and holding a bow composed of Reishi, stood Ishida Uryū. Under normal circumstances, Ichigo would be questioning why his cousin had a bow made of Reishi. But under normal circumstance, he wouldn’t have just almost been shot with an arrow of all things. Understandably, Ichigo’s reaction was slightly more volatile than normal, “What the ever-loving <em>fuck</em>, Ishida?!” Storming right up to the other teen, Nemu right behind him, Ichigo grabbed him by his collar and growled, “The hell are you doing shooting at me with a fucking arrow?! And for that matter, since when have you had spiritual powers?!”</p><p>                Shaking himself free, Uryū growled back, “What am I doing? What are <em>you</em> doing, Kurosaki?! I had long since accepted you had no ability as a Quincy, but to consort with Shinigami?! Such a thing is unconscionable to any Quincy! Consider this a warning: Leave protecting Karakura to me. You’ll only get in the way.” Without giving Ichigo a chance to respond, the bespectacled teen vanished with some speed technique. Had he been in his Shinigami form, Ichigo could’ve kept pace. As a human, he could barely follow Uryū’s movements.</p><p>                Behind him, Nemu held her chin in thought, “A Quincy? He must be a descendant of the survivors of the last culling. Curious though, I thought all the surviving Quincy were located in Europe.” Catching, Ichigo’s inquisitive look, Nemu told him, “Let’s continue this over ice cream.” In response, Ichigo shook his head fondly, most of his anger at Uryū fading. It seemed nothing was going to keep Nemu from her frozen treat.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Ten minutes later, Ichigo and Nemu were seated outside their favorite ice cream parlor and enjoying their confectionary treats. Putting down the dish of cookies and cream he’d been half-heartedly eating, Ichigo continued their earlier conversation, “So who or what are Quincy? And why would they apparently hate Shinigami? And for that matter what do they have to do with me?”</p><p>                Nemu reluctantly halted in her enthusiastic licking of her strawberry ice cream to answer, “The Quincy are a group of humans who first gained spiritual powers approximately 1,700 years ago in the region known as Germania.  While the exact details are unknown, we do know that a relatively small group discovered a method to obliterate Hollows and taught their ways to many others.” Here, Nemu paused to lick up a bit of ice cream that was about to dribble onto her hand. <em>‘This woman can be way too erotic at sometimes,’</em> Ichigo thought. “Unfortunately, their methods didn’t purify Hollows. They completely eradicated them, removing their souls from the cycle of reincarnation.”</p><p>                At that, Ichigo couldn’t help but interrupt, “But most Hollows were innocent people in life, weren’t they? And the Quincy just annihilated them?!” Even if Ichigo forgot about the sole Hollow he’d known in life, Inoue Sora, there was still the fact that only one of the dozens of Hollows he’d purified had gone to Hell. “I get that Hollows were probably hunting them, but couldn’t they have tried just weakening them enough for the Shinigami to purify them?”</p><p>                Nodding, pleased at his deduction, Nemu elaborated, “We had indeed attempted that. Initially, Soul Society had rather foolishly attempted to keep the Quincy from using their powers at all. Naturally, that failed. You can’t convince a man trapped by a bear to put down his rifle, after all. However, even out later attempts at negotiation were immediately shot down. And eradicating the souls of Hollows is worse than you realize. There is a balance between how many souls exist in the living world and the afterlife.  Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are both meant to have far more souls than the living world. A few thousand souls here and there won’t tip the balance, but over time, tens of thousands of Hollows and the hundreds of souls they may have consumed? Such actions could have irrevocably unbalanced the scale, causing souls to flood into the human world. This would have eroded the barriers between worlds until all three merged into a single dimension.”</p><p>                Frozen in silent horror, Ichigo couldn’t help but picture such a scenario. A world where Hollows roamed free to feast on the living and the dead alike. Would death even have any meaning in such a world? Truly, it would be hell on Earth. That thought was what snapped him out of his imaginings, “Wait, you said there was a balance between the worlds but only named three. What about Hell?”</p><p>                Nemu shrugged in response, still enjoying her frozen treat, “Honestly, the majority of Soul Society’s information on Hell is theoretical. The only concrete evidence we have is that it exists and that something within that realm takes the souls of the damned into its depths. From time to time, a soul emerges from Hell into Soul Society, but they’ve unilaterally been “wiped clean” so to speak. No memories, no Reishi traces, nothing. But we are getting off topic. One thousand years ago, the Quincy population grew too large to be allowed. If even half of them killed a Hollow every day, the worlds would have fallen out of balance within a matter of months. So, the Shinigami of the time did what they felt was necessary… and culled them. Naturally, the Quincy fought back, led by their self-styled emperor, Yhwach. In the end, their entire army was slaughtered and only one in a thousand Quincy was allowed to live. Mostly children.” One thing Ichigo had to hand to Nemu, despite being a Shinigami herself, her tone made it clear she wasn’t taking a side in the conflict. She was merely stating what happened. “Then, 700 years later, the Quincy once more rose up. This time it wasn’t their numbers that were the issue, but that they were directly attacking Shinigami. They wished to wage war against Soul Society for the genocide of their race in the past. All they achieved was another genocide. Since then, their numbers have never gone above a few thousand at most. The last estimate suggests there are less than a thousand Quincy throughout the world now.”</p><p>                Ichigo needed to process this. He wasn’t surprised Soul Society and their Shinigami weren’t exactly pillars of morality – what with allowing someone like Mayuri in their ranks – but to nearly exterminate a race twice? Even if their intentions were noble, that was still a hard pill to swallow, to say the least. In the end, the strawberry latched onto the one thing that could help distract him, “Wait, but I still don’t know why Uryū thinks I should be a Quincy? …Is that my ice cream?”</p><p>                Looking up from where she was gobbling up Ichigo’s abandoned dish, Nemu got a deer in headlights look for a brief moment. She quickly wolfed down the rest of Ichigo’s ice cream and tossed the dish in a nearby wastebin. A moment later, the violette wiped her face and answered his first question as though nothing happened, “You said Ishida-san is your cousin, correct? Quincy powers are generally inherited so I can only assume you have other family that have Quincy powers and Ishida-san expected you to have them as well. Now come along. There’s still time for training before your patrol.”</p><p>                As Ichigo followed her away from the ice cream parlor, he couldn’t help but think, <em>’She’s lucky she’s so adorable or I’d be annoyed at losing my ice cream.’ </em>Unbidden, the teens eyes strayed downwards to Nemu’s lower half, fixating on the way her pants struggled to contain her ass. <em>‘Okay, that certainly helps too.’</em></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Only a few days later, Ichigo was on patrol and about to cleave through a Hollow’s skull when it was suddenly pierced by a Reishi arrow. As it dissolved into nothingness, Ichigo disappeared in a flash towards the direction the arrow had come from. Sure enough, there stood Uryū, his bow in hand and looking both cross and condescending. Frankly, Ichigo didn’t give a damn about Uryū’s anger issues. Much like their last encounter, Ichigo grabbed Uryū by his shirt, this time even more livid. “What the fuck, you jackass?! What gives you the right to go around obliterating souls like that!” He shouted in the other teens face.</p><p>                In response, Uryū snarled back, “Don’t presume to judge me, Kurosaki! I have my reasons and I warned you to leave the Hollows to me! They’re a pestilence and should be stamped out as such! Karakura doesn’t need-“</p><p>                Uryū’s tirade was interrupted by Ichigo’s forehead smashing into the cartilage of his nose. “I! Don’t! Give! A! Fuck!” Ishida stumbled back, hand rising to his face, “That Hollow could’ve been a goddamned child for all you know, and now they’re gone forever! Anyone they ever ate? <strong>Gone!</strong> Whatever your issue with the Shinigami, whether it’s them destroying the Quincy or something else, you have no right to bring innocents into it!”</p><p>                Gingerly setting his nose, Uryū glared back at him, “I’m busy saving innocents! Innocents you Shinigami refuse to save! And to prove my point, I’m challenging you to a duel.” From his pocket, Uryū removed a small white tablet, like an oversized aspirin. “This is Hollow bait. If broken, it will attract numerous weak Hollows to the area for the next day. Whoever kills the most Hollows wins the duel. If I win, you give up being a Shinigami and leave protecting Karakura to me. If you win, I’ll concede, and you can continue playing with your sword.”</p><p>                For a long moment, Ichigo didn’t react, stunned at the utter ludicrousness of the proposal. Shaking himself, he counter-offered, “How about instead, you put that away and I don’t make you right-handed?” With that, Ichigo reached to grab the tablet, but Uryū was faster and crushed it between his fingers. Almost immediately Garganta sprung open across the city and Hollow roars rang throughout the city. After a moment, almost all emotion drained from Ichigo’s face. A stern glare on his face, he released Uryū and calmly told him, “You’re going to pay for every person that gets hurt because of your <em>fucking</em> <em>pride</em>.” With that parting comment, Ichigo vanished in the direction of his home.</p><p>                Summoning his bow once more, Uryū scoffed even as he took aim at the nearest Hollow, “Going to protect your family, Kurosaki? There’s far more than just them that will be targeted. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll kill every single Hollow, protect everyone, and prove my superiority.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Alfred was currently using Ichigo’s body to enjoy some rather nice green tea when the substitute suddenly arrived right in front of him. Before he could ask what was going on, Ichigo was already belting out orders, “Alfred! There’s a horde of Hollows coming! Get home and protect my family! I don’t care what happens to my body, just keep them safe!” The moment Ichigo finished talking, he was already gone. Still, Alfred had his marching orders. And even without them, he was rather fond of Ichigo’s younger sisters, especially the rare times he got to sit and watch that “Star Trek” show with them. As much as it offended him to waste good tea, Alfred gulped the whole cup down, slapped some money on the table and sprinted off.</p><p>                However, as the Gikon arrived at the Kurosaki residence, he spotted Ichigo’s father standing outside. Rather than his usual lab coat, the Kurosaki patriarch was clad in a Shinigami’s shihakusho. As Alfred approached, the older man turned and greeted him, “Ah, Gikon-san. Sorry I don’t know your name but don’t worry, I’m strong enough to keep the kids safe. Now get on inside and watch more Deep Space 9 with the girls; they’ve been waiting on you so they could start the next season.” Too stunned to speak, Alfred quietly obeyed, entering the home and leaving its protection to Isshin. As such, he didn’t hear the man mutter, “Wish this could’ve waited a couple months though; I’d have wiped all these Hollows out before the opening credits finished. As is, this is going to take a while. I’m not even back to lieutenant level.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Orihime and Tatsuki were still at school when they felt it. A sudden malevolent pressure filled the air as numerous shrieks and roars echoed in the distance. Fearfully looking around, the pair spotted an inhuman figure atop the school roof, watching them. “H-h-hey Hime,” Despite her best efforts, Tatsuki’s voice betrayed her growing terror, “What do you say we get the hell out of here right now?” Unable to speak, Orihime merely nodded as she stepped backwards. However, before she could properly flee, two pairs of arms grabbed her from behind, three grabbing her arms and one covering her mouth. As she tried to shake off her attackers, the busty teen saw they were a pair of upperclassmen. However, they had strange seeds protruding from their bodies and green tinted veins.</p><p>                “Get the fuck off her!” Tatsuki roared as she kicked away both boys. But even as they fell away, more students approached, shambling forward like zombies and all with those same seeds embedded in them. Undeterred, the ravenette smashed their assailants left and right, making sure to keep herself between Orihime and the possessed teenagers. Still, no matter how many she felled, they just kept coming. And worse, the ones she’d put down simply got back up again, ignoring their injuries. The few that didn’t were ones whom Tatsuki had broken at least one bone in their legs, leaving them unable to stand. Yet even those crawled towards the girls.</p><p>                As Tatsuki floored yet another of the zombie like teens, a new hand grabbed her shoulder. She whirled around to face her newest opponent, only to see Chizuru staring back at her, tears flowing down her cheeks as she brokenly whispered, “R-run.” The martial artist hesitated for just a moment. But that was all it took. One of the possessed high schoolers grabbed her other arm while the one she’d just knocked down grabbed one of her legs. Before she could gain any leverage to wrestle them off, Chizuru’s fist slammed into her gut hard enough to make the tomboy vomit. More of the infected grabbed her remaining limbs even as Chizuru repeatedly struck her. The redheaded lesbian unable to do more than sob, “I’m sorry.” over and over.</p><p>                Just as Tatsuki thought she’d black out, the blows stopped and a new voice cackled, <strong>“Well, well. You put up quite the fight didn’t you, little morsel?”</strong> It was the figure from before. Up close, it resembled a mass of purple tentacles with a bone mask for a face. On its forehead was several bumps, two of which suddenly enlarged and fired right at her. Two of those infernal seeds struck Tatsuki’s body; one in her scalp and another in her side. As they burrowed into her flesh, Tatsuki felt her control over her own body slip. No matter how she struggled mentally, her limbs refused to obey her commands. The other teens released the tomboy while another group came forward with Orihime in their clutches. The monsters cackled as it took in their misfortune, <strong>“Another delectable treat, though not as spirited.” </strong>One of the creature’s tentacles reached out, starting at Tatsuki’s thigh, and trailing up her body before cupping her chin. <strong>“I wonder what I should do with you. Perhaps I’ll make the two of you beat each other to death? Or maybe I should let my slaves have some fun with you? You could spend the last few hours of your life as their whore before I force you to hang yourself. I know! I’ll make you choose your fate! So tell me, my tasty little slave, what tortures should I put you through?”</strong></p><p>                Tatsuki opened her mouth, but rather than speak, she bit down on the tentacle in front of her face. In her rage and hatred at this vile monster, the schoolgirl bit a chunk of flesh right off its tentacle. “Listening to your voice is torture enough, you bitch.” Howling in pain and fury, another tentacle struck her across the head. Even as she lost consciousness, Tatsuki swore she saw an orange glow burst into being between her and the tentacled fiend.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                When she came too, Tatsuki found herself completely healed, along with the rest of their schoolmates. But before she could check on Orihime, another monstrous presence made itself known. <strong>“Must be my lucky day. So many souls just lined up and waiting for me to feast on.”</strong> It was another monster like the one before, though this one resembled a lanky, man-sized frog. <em>‘Of fucking course. When it rains, it floods.’</em> <strong>“Now, who do I eat first?”</strong> Unlike the last monster, this one sounded… slimy. If not for the unnatural reverb, Tatsuki would say the voice belonged to a used car salesman in a bad suit with greasy hair.</p><p>Having been attacked by possessed students, molested by a tentacle ghost, and now dealing with the world’s largest frog, Tatsuki reached her limit. “You know what? I’m done with today. This whole goddamn day can. Just. <strong>Fuck! Right! OFF!</strong>” With that last declaration, a purple aura exploded out of her body, kicking up an unnatural wind and hiding her from view. When everything settled, Tatsuki had transformed. Her hands were dusted with purple scales and ended in black claws while her teeth had all turned into fangs. The tomboy’s eyes were amber and contained slitted pupils. Finally, a pair of small black horns emerged from her forehead.</p><p>Without giving her opponent a moment to react to her change, Tatsuki shot forward. In response, the frog Hollow spat globs of green liquid at her, but the tomboy easily evaded. Appearing behind him, Tatsuki dug into its back with both her claws and her teeth. The amphibious monster screamed in agony as she ripped into it. She refused to let go, even as it ineffectually clawed at her with its webbed hands and leapt backwards into a wall in an attempt to dislodge her. All it accomplished was tearing its wounds further as the martial artist was jostled. Finally, Tatsuki removed her jaws from its back, only to bite down into its neck from behind, biting straight through and all but decapitating the monstrosity.</p><p>As the Hollow dissolved into nothingness, Tatsuki’s transformation receded, leaving behind an ordinary, if blood soaked, teenager. Once more, she found herself blacking out, though this time from exhaustion. As such, neither she nor the still-unconscious Orihime noticed the figure approaching them. “My, my, this is certainly a mess we’ve got on our hands.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Elsewhere, Uryū continued to snipe every Hollow he spotted. But no matter how many he slew, more kept coming, much faster than he had anticipated. At this point, his fingers were starting to bleed from overusing his powers. <em>’71. They just keep coming. That bait shouldn’t have summoned so many. What is going on here? ’</em> In the distance, he spotted multiple flashes of light and echoing booms. <em>‘And of course, </em>they<em> had to get involved. No matter. They’re not a part of this. I will endure. And I will prove to Kurosaki once and for all that Karakura doesn’t need him or any Shinigami!’</em> So intent was Uryū on ignoring what was going on in that direction, that he never noticed there wasn’t a single Hollow anywhere near the local hospital.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Urahara watched the sky as he waited for the last of his helpers to arrive. Occasionally, a Hollow would be stupid enough to attack but a simple flex of his power was enough to purify them without requiring he physically move. <em>‘We’re well into the triple digits at this point. There’s no way that Quincy boy had potent enough bait to call this many. What are you planning, Aizen?’</em> Through his ruminations, the former captain stared at one specific crack in the sky. While the other Garganta had either closed already or continued spewing Hollows, nothing had emerged from this one. Not yet anyway. Instead, it simply kept growing larger and larger as time went on. In a way, its size was actually reassuring; a Garganta that large could only mean that a Gillian was coming. <em>‘The boy can handle a Gillian. Were it an Adjuchas or worse, a Vasto Lorde, I’d be forced to intervene. Hm. Aizen would know that too. So, if this </em>is<em> his doing, it’s not a test for me but for Kurosaki. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on him.’</em></p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the last person he was waiting on. A small black cat appeared in an instant. One moment there was nothing, the next, there was a cat sitting there calmly. Turning its gaze to the same crack in the sky, it spoke in a masculine voice, “I checked on the last hot spots. Ryūken is holding the hospital and has assured me that Uryū will be… disciplined for his actions. As for the other location, it wasn’t any of Kurosaki’s classmates and the duo there had things in hand. They said they’ll head this way once they’ve taken care of the Hollows in that part of town.”</p><p>Urahara nodded in acceptance as he finally turned from the massive Garganta. “And Kurosaki-kun should be meeting up with Ishida-kun shortly. Which means it’s time for us to get ready to play our parts.” Turning towards the paralyzed forms next to him, the shopkeeper addressed Ichigo’s friends and teacher, “Sorry about this, but I’m afraid you four would simply get in the way right now. But not to worry, Tessai-san will be looking after you while Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun wrap things up.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Despite his best efforts, Uryū knew he was in trouble. The Hollows were coming far faster than he could kill them and he was now surrounded. Still, if this was to be his end, he’d take as many Hollows with him as he could. Despite the blood running down both hands at this point, Uryū nocked another arrow and prepared to make his last stand. <em>‘Sorry grandfather. I’ll be seeing you sooner than expected.’</em></p><p>“Hyapporankan!” A new voice shouted and a moment later, scores of glowing blue rods rained down upon the area. The Hollow closest to Uryū were pinned to the ground and rendered immobile. Carving his way through the mob was Kurosaki Ichigo, his oversized Zanpakutō cleaving Hollows left and right until he finally stood before the Quincy. “You know, for the smartest kid in our grade, you’re a goddamn moron. Even most of the local gangs know better than to start shit in my town. And even the ones who do cause trouble never summoned a horde of murderous ghosts. But frankly, we’ll deal with that bullshit later. Right now, we’re gonna fix your mess so nobody else gets hurt.” So saying, Ichigo turned back to the mob surrounding them. Those that hadn’t been caught in his Bakudō were even now climbing over the ones that were. Almost nonchalantly, Ichigo asked, “I don’t suppose you have any multi-target abilities? All I’ve got is that one Bakudō and it can’t hit enough of them to make much of a difference.”</p><p>Despite his misgivings about his cousin, Uryū replied simply, “I do not.” At least with a friendly fighter at his back, he wouldn’t have to worry about being ambushed from behind. But they were still grossly outnumbered.</p><p>In response, Ichigo sighed, “Of course not.” Under ideal circumstances, they would be in decent shape. If he could keep all the enemies in front of him while Uryū offered ranged support, there wouldn’t be too many problems. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work here. The only time being surrounded wasn’t a problem was when your enemies were so weak, they posed no threat anyway. Much like his reluctant ally, Ichigo readied himself to face the coming horde.</p><p>Before they could engage, dozens of gunshots rang out, loud enough to be mistaken for cannons. Numerous Hollow fell before the onslaught, revealing Urahara and a trio of children. The little girl was carrying a multi-barrel cannon bigger than herself while the redheaded boy wielded a massive club and the blonde one had metal greaves on his legs. The blonde shopkeeper cheerfully waved his fan as the two teens stood stunned. “My, my. Seems like you two could use a hand. How about me and the kids take care of these small fry? That’ll leave you two to handle the big one,” As he spoke, Urahara snapped his fan closed and used it to point at massive crack in the sky that was finally opening. Without waiting for a reply, the three children leapt into action and quickly began decimating swarm of Hollows.</p><p>Those Hollows not on the ground all swarmed towards the crack which had now widened into an actual hole. A pair of colossal hands reached through and pulled the sky apart like a curtain. Behind the sky was an unending void of unfathomable darkness and within that darkness, a pair of red eyes appeared, followed by a mask and an inky black body. The Hollow was so gargantuan that even its face dwarfed all the other Hollows around it, standing a dozen stories tall.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Ichigo’s friends all watched in absolute horror at the abomination tearing its way through the sky itself. Of them, only Nemu had a modicum of control. This wasn’t her first time seeing such a creature, but right now she lacked the power to fight it. “A Gillian. What is a Gillian doing in the Living World? Ichigo-kun can’t fight something like that.” As her agitation grew, Nemu turned her head, the only part of her body she could move, towards Tessai and demanded of him, “What is Urahara playing at? He knows Ichigo-kun will die if he fights a Menos Grande.” The violette’s words both worsened the humans’ terror and confused them. They knew how strong Ichigo was so for her to be so certain of Ichigo’s impending demise boded poorly for both him and them. On the other hand, they couldn’t help but wonder what she meant by suggesting that oddball shopkeeper was “playing games”.</p><p>                Despite her demands, Tessai remained unmoving. His reply was as confident and unshakeable as his stance, “Urahara-dono knows what he is doing. He won’t allow Kurosaki-san to perish. Trust in your friend.”</p><p>                Unable to actually do anything, bound with Bakudō as she was, Nemu could only watch and hope. <em>‘Don’t die, Ichigo-kun. I won’t forgive you if you die!’ </em>Her face was as expressionless as ever, but her thoughts betrayed her dread. Finally having someone who truly cared about her had changed the woman. She wouldn’t have dreamt of having thoughts like that months ago, ‘<em>Please don’t leave me…</em>’</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                At the moment, both Ichigo and Uryū were staring down the Menos Grande as it fully emerged, unsure how to proceed. Even as they tried to strategize, their thoughts were interrupted when the Gillian’s mouth opened and its tongue shot out, spearing several lesser Hollows before retreating back into its mouth. “It’s- it’s eating them,” Uryū uttered in shock. As they watched, it repeated its actions, consuming every Hollow that had gathered around it. Once it finished feasting, the horror turned its attention their way.</p><p>                “Right, time for gawking is over! Time for action is now!” Ichigo declared. Shouldering his Zanpakutō, the strawberry raised his other hand and chanted, “Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!” Six rods of light slammed into the Gillian, freezing it mid-step. But before the duo could capitalize on their opponent’s paralysis, the Bakudō shattered and the Menos continued lumbering forward. Ichigo shouted in disbelief and frustration at seeing his Kidō destroyed so easily, “Oh come on! That’s bullshit!”</p><p>                Unfortunately for him, not only did the humongous Hollow not care for fairness, it also wasn’t amused by being attacked. A crimson orb appeared in front of its teeth and quickly grew until it was larger than Ichigo himself. The Gillian’s mouth opened in a roar and the orb fired at him as a crimson beam of destructive energy. While Uryū quickly dodged, Ichigo, perhaps foolishly, stood his ground and blocked with his Zanpakutō. With one hand bracing against the flat of his blade, Ichigo struggled to hold back the awesome power of his enemy’s attack. Burns and scars carved themselves into the concrete around him. Parts of his shihakusho started disintegrating from the intense energy. In that moment, the teenager felt like he was trying to hold back the ocean with his bare hands. Even as his form stood firm, the concrete beneath him gave way, cracking then crumbling under his feet.</p><p>                Just as Ichigo’s body felt like it would explode from the strain, a new surge of power welled up within him. It felt like a fire starting in his chest and engulfing every cell in his body. With a great roar of effort, he swung his Zanpakutō and deflected the blast off into the sky. Screaming his wrath, Ichigo slashed downwards and despite the dozens of meters separating him from his target, a massive laceration appeared in the Gillian’s body. For a moment, the beast appeared merely injured but alive, then its mask split and disintegrated. The rest of the abomination’s body followed, dissolving into nothingness as the portal into the void behind it sealed itself. Ichigo panted as his victory registered in his mind.</p><p>However, his triumph was short-lived as he collapsed in agony, his own power threatening to rend him asunder. Thinking quickly, Uryū rushed over and began absorbing Ichigo’s overflowing energy. His bow held aloft, the bespectacled teen fired arrows larger than his own body into the air, over and over again. Gradually, he managed to bleed off his cousin’s excess power, saving the other teens life in the process.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                Urahara held his fan in front of his face, seemingly to conceal his smile, but truly to hide his thoughtful frown. <em>‘I didn’t think the boy had it in him to destroy a Menos so soon. I’ll definitely need to keep an eye on him.’</em> Glancing back at Ichigo’s companions, the former captain fought the urge to grimace. <em>‘Especially once Soul Society becomes aware of this little episode. No way they missed a Menos Grande appearing in the Living World. Things are going to start moving soon.’</em> With a gesture from him, Tessai released Nemu and the others from the Bakudō keeping them immobilized. Immediately, all four rushed over to Ichigo’s unconscious form, seeking to reassure themselves he was alright.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>                In Soul Society, two men watched the day’s events unfold with varying levels of interest. One of them – a man with silver hair and perpetually closed eyes-  chuckled in amusement. “Well, well. It seems your little pet project is advancing faster than expected, Aizen-taicho. This gonna interfere with things, ya think?” Despite his cheerful tone, the man’s demeanor was like a serpent watching a mildly amusing mouse.</p><p>                His companion, a brunette man wearing glasses, shook his head, “No, I don’t think so. If anything, this might actually help matters.” Somehow, Aizen seemed even more malevolent even though his own smile appeared much more genuine. Rather than a predator watching its prey, his gaze was more akin to a man deciding if he was going to step on a particular ant or not. <em>‘And who knows, perhaps Ichigo-san will actually be even more useful than I had anticipated.’ </em>The thought crossed his mind. It appeared as if allowing that hack Mayuri’s attempted abductions rather than sending Kuchiki’s inexperienced sister had borne unexpected fruit, “Regardless, I’m sure Kurotsuchi-taicho’s scanners have detected this. It’ll be time to move once more, soon.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: Meaningful foreshadowing is meaningful! Anyway, things are starting to change more. Next chapter should be the end of the Substitute Shinigami Arc. And lest I forget, Next time on Vow Of The King! Ichigo gets to first base and lets an older man stick it in him!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. But There's Still Tomorrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Speech”<br/><em>‘Thoughts’</em><br/><span class="u">“Zanpakutō”<br/></span><strong>“Hollows/Vizard”</strong></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Despite the Hollow swarm he’d faced only a couple days ago, Nemu insisted Ichigo keep to their normal training schedule. Indeed, perhaps it was <em>because</em> of that horde that she insisted. So here they were, walking to the old Sukari building once again, each carrying their own luggage. Ichigo wasn’t sure what kind of training he’d be facing today, but he recognized Nemu’s bag as the one she carried their practice swords in, so there would definitely be Zanjutsu involved. Ichigo himself merely carried things for Alfred while the Gikon was using his body. Though the spirit was remarkably snarky, he was still helpful and rarely asked for much. As far as Ichigo was concerned, he could at least give Alfred something to do while he waited. As the pair arrived, Ichigo noticed the empty parking lot had changed significantly since their last session. Dotted around the area was everything from oil drums to cinder blocks to logs. He even spotted a pool table among it all.</p><p>Ichigo looked questioningly at Nemu, wondering why their training space was so cluttered with junk. The buxom woman simply gestured for him to get into his Shinigami form. After taking his Soul Candy, Ichigo passed a foldable chair to Alfred along with a bookmarked paperback and thermos of tea. The Gikon nodded his thanks before setting himself up well out of the way. Once Ichigo was ready, Nemu spoke up, “Today we’ll be working on both your Zanjutsu and footwork. We’ll spar while standing on the various objects I’ve placed around the area. Anyone who touches the ground automatically loses. However, since your power as a Shinigami currently outstrips what I’m capable of matching, you’ll be wearing these.” The Shinigami tossed a pair of objects at Ichigo, which he reflexively caught. At a glance, they appeared to be ordinary sweatbands. “Think of them as weights for your soul. They’ve been calibrated to leave you physically on par with myself.”</p><p><em>‘And here I almost thought her gym shorts were incase another Kidō exploded.</em>’ Slipping them on, Ichigo immediately felt as though his body was far heavier than normal. Curious, he couldn’t help but ask, “So, could I use these to grow stronger? Just wear them all the time and take them off when needed?”</p><p>Nemu shook her head in response, “They’re not intended for long term usage. Furthermore, they’re not weighing down your power in any way so much as they’re limiting your ability to access it. Perhaps rather than weights, it would be best to think of them as a spigot on a water tank. They merely to control how much flows at a time.” The pair took up their practice swords and each leapt to their own starting point. Ichigo stood atop a fallen log while Nemu balanced perfectly upon a paint can. From her cleavage, Nemu withdrew a ten-yen coin, “When this hits the ground, we will begin. After each match, we will resume as soon as both of us are off the ground again.” She casually flipped it into the air but Ichigo knew better than to watch it. Instead, he kept his eyes on his opponent and listened for the coin to land. After a few seconds, the coin hit the ground with a soft jingle.</p><p>Knowing he was on one of the few objects large and heavy enough to plant his feet, Ichigo held his ground rather than move after Nemu. Unfortunately for him, she shot off in a different direction. The Violette showed impressive footwork as she easily moved from one “post” to another in a random pattern. Ichigo realized his mistake as she launched herself at him from the side, forcing him to turn to block. The log beneath them rolled from the force if the impact, causing both to jump to a new position. Alighting atop an oil drum, Ichigo immediately leapt towards his sparring partner just as she landed on a cinderblock. Without pause, the Shinigami woman kicked off the cinderblock just right so that it’d be launched at him as she moved to a new post. While he managed to deflect the building block, the teen realized he now had nowhere to land. With a slight growl of annoyance, the strawberry landed on the ground. Even as he climbed onto another object, Ichigo understood what Nemu was trying to teach him. He needed to work on both his footwork and his battlefield awareness.</p><p>“Again,” Nemu flatly stated even as she jumped directly at her student. This time, Ichigo tried to deflect her strike rather than outright block. However, Nemu grabbed his arm with her own and used it as a pivot, flipping herself in the air to launch a kick towards his face. With a hasty dodge, the teen managed to throw her away from him though his precarious balance forced him to move once more. Landing on an old mattress, Ichigo instinctively dodged his teacher’s flying kick. He took a hand off of his sword and grabbed her ankle, using it to throw her towards open ground. With nothing to land on, the strawberry was sure he had just evened up the score. Instead, Nemu lanced out her offhand and landed, perfectly balanced, on a single finger. Looking closer, Ichigo realized she was balancing herself on the ten-yen coin she had flipped earlier.</p><p>“That’s just bullshit,” Ichigo deadpanned. Still, knowing he had to capitalize on her relatively defenseless position, Ichigo hurled himself towards the woman. But Nemu managed to push herself away in time and landed on yet another “post”, this time the pool table. With room for both of them on her new perch, they quickly locked blades. When Nemu tried to kick Ichigo, he blocked with his thigh then smashed his forehead into her nose. Dazed and unbalanced, the Violette had no defense when Ichigo punched her in the solar plexus and knocked her off the pool table and to the ground.</p><p>For a moment, Ichigo was worried he might’ve gone a bit too far. But his teacher merely offered a nod and a slight smile even as she took a new perch. “You’re learning quickly. Good. Again.”</p><p>On and on they sparred. “Again.” Each utilizing any dirty trick they could think of to win. “Again.” In a way, it reminded Ichigo of the gangs he’d used to fight. “Again.” The fights where all that mattered was putting your opponent on the ground. “Again.” That his opponent was a woman didn’t matter. “Again.” That she was his friend didn’t matter. “Again.”  All that existed in that moment, was the fight. “Again!”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Nearly two hours, the pair were taking a break. Despite his inhuman stamina in his Shinigami form, Ichigo was still remarkably sore all over. Nemu had it worse. While her Gigai wasn’t human and didn’t have the same limitations, she had still been fighting at her false body’s limit for an extended period. Uncapping her water bottle, the Violette greedily gulped down its contents. Alfred tossed her another and she drank half before dumping the rest over her head. As Ichigo watched the water run down Nemu’s body, he desperately wished life came with a slow-motion function. A desire that only grew stronger as she performed cool down stretches.</p><p>Already knowing from experience that such stretches were pointless for him, Ichigo instead asked, “So are you finally going to tell me about that giant Hollow from the other day?” He had attempted to ask her before, but his teacher insisted she’d “tell him later”. The Substitute Shinigami wasn’t used to her being so cagey. Usually Nemu came right out and told him whatever he asked about. At worst, she’d say it was irrelevant, but he had a feeling that a skyscraper-sized Hollow was pretty fucking relevant.</p><p>“Shortly,” Nemu panted, still breathing hard. “Once the others – hah – arrive. There’s little point in – huff –  repeating myself.” Before Ichigo could ask what she meant by “others”, he felt several spiritual signatures enter his passive range. “How fortunate. There they are now.” Turning his head in the same direction Nemu was looking, Ichigo spotted several of his classmates approaching from the far end of the lot. Orihime and Tatsuki were in front, walking so close together they were nearly touching. Sado, strong and silent as usual, followed behind them. And taking up the rear was Uryū, who looked like a man walking to his execution, apprehensive but determined to keep his head high. Given Ichigo’s persisting fury at his actions, the Quincy wasn’t entirely wrong. Ichigo looked in askance at Nemu, who simply gestured for him to wait.</p><p>Once all four teens stood before them, it was Tatsuki who broke the ice, “So sensei, you finally going to tell us what was up with all the monsters? And why Ichigo’s been running around like a wannabe samurai for a while now?” Those two questions made things click into place for Ichigo. Clearly, his closest friends had enough Reiryoku to see spirits now; something he’d suspected for a while. It certainly explained all those instances where he thought they saw him while he was a Shinigami.</p><p>Nemu nodded and answered, “Of course; that is why I called you here today. To begin with, those monsters are called Hollows. They’re spirits who lingered too long in the Living World and lost themselves to despair. They consume the souls of others in an attempt to ease their hunger to fill the void inside of them. The swarm two days ago was caused by somebody deciding to utilize a sort of Hollow bait to summon them to Karakura.” Ichigo had to give her credit. Despite Nemu knowing full well it was Uryū who did it, she didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she continued her lecture like they were in class. An image slightly hampered by her sports bra and gym shorts, to say nothing of the water and sweat still clinging to her skin. “I am a Shinigami; one whose duty is to purify Hollows and send souls to the afterlife. Due to an incident that left me injured, Ichigo has been taking up my duties until I can perform them once more.”</p><p>Here, Orihime cut in, “And that Kaiju Hollow? It was like a Godzilla monster. All zap and fwoosh! Then Ichigo was all rargh and heeya! And he cut it right in two, like Kamen Rider! Ooh! Do you get a motorcycle, Kurosaki-kun? Does it have a sheathe for your sword?” As she rambled, the excitable girl gestured wildly, particularly while making sound effects.</p><p>Despite teaching the girl for two months, Nemu had little exposure to her… quirks. As such, she was left blinking at Orihime’s tangent. After a few seconds, the Shinigami regained her bearings enough to answer, “No, he does not have a motorcycle. That giant Hollow was known as a Menos Grande, specifically a Gillian. It is formed when hundreds of Hollows consume each other until only one remains. While their power is considerable, their intellect is negligible. It’s only when they evolve further that they regain their mental faculties.”</p><p>“What?! Hollows grow even stronger than that?!” This time it was Uryū who spoke. His face conveyed his disbelief and fear at the idea of a Hollow even stronger than the Gillian from the other day.</p><p>“Yes; the further evolutions are known as Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde. The latter is theorized to be strong enough to kill Gillians with just their Reiatsu. However, both are extremely rare and never venture into the Living World. There’s simply not enough Reiryoku for them to bother. Even Gillians rarely enter the Living World.” Despite the knowledge that they wouldn’t have to worry about even stronger Hollows, Nemu’s words did little to comfort the teenagers present. It was like being told that the sharks you feared were mere snacks for monsters lurking deeper in the ocean. Even if you never entered the water again, you’d always know there was something beyond your nightmares waiting beneath the waves. The Violette teacher snapped them out of their thoughts with a clap of her hands. “Now, this information is important to you because all of you have spiritual powers of your own. Hollows likely will be attracted to your Reiryoku and so you must be alert. The more you use your powers; the more Hollows will be attracted by them. Therefore, it is best that none of you utilize your new abilities except in life and death situations.”</p><p>Though Sado nodded in easy agreement, Uryū was outraged by the mere suggestion. “How dare you?! First you Shinigami try to genocide my people and now you try to dictate when I can and cannot use my powers?! I won’t stand for it! I have my pride as a Quincy, and I will not be ordered around by a Shinigami!”</p><p>“Shut the fuck up, Ishida.” Ichigo coldly interrupted, “Your Quincy bullshit is what caused the trouble two days ago. Your <em>fucking pride</em> caused you to unleash a horde of Hollows on our town rather than listen to reason. Far as I’m concerned? Your “pride” can go die in a ditch. So get your head out of your ass and listen up!”</p><p>“Wait a minute! <em>You’re</em> the reason Hime and I almost became the stars in a tentacle themed snuff porno?!” Tatsuki quickly grabbed Uryū by his throat and dragged him down to her level. “<strong>You son of a bitch!</strong> I oughta smash your fucking teeth in!!” Before she could make good on her threat, Orihime hugged the enraged martial artist from behind. When Tatsuki turned to her in confusion, the orangette merely shook her head solemnly at her. Still furious, but not wanting to upset her best friend, Tatsuki pushed the bespectacled teen with a scoff, making him stumble and fall on his ass, “Tch. You got lucky this time. Pull something like that again and they’ll be fishing you out of Karasu.”</p><p>Pulling her friend aside and leading her away, Orihime called back, “We’ll remember your advice, Ghost-sensei!” As the pair left, Ichigo couldn’t help but ponder the girl’s empathy. She was definitely something of an airhead, but she understood other’s emotions better than most. Though Orihime’s ability to reign in Tatsuki was helped by how hard it was to disappoint the girl; it felt like kicking a puppy.</p><p>While Ichigo was musing, Sado quietly said his goodbyes before leaving as well. However, as Uryū got up and went to leave too, Ichigo stopped him. “Wait a minute, Ishida. Tatsuki wasn’t wrong and I believe I made you a promise before everything went sideways.” As Uryū stiffened in realization, Nemu made her excuses and left the area with Alfred. ‘<em>Ichigo-kun might require an alibi if he fulfills that promise he told me about.’</em></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>It was almost a week later that Uryū returned to school. Most of the class was shocked to see the teen in a wheelchair with casts on both legs. Ichigo on the other hand, already knew it would happen. Just like he knew that Uryū’s story about a car accident was bullshit. <em>‘He’s lucky we owe his father so much. Otherwise, I’d have broken his damn spine rather than his legs.’</em> Ichigo had promised his cousin that he’d pay for every person hurt because of his actions. In the end, thirty-seven people had been seriously injured during the Hollow invasion. Thankfully, there were no fatalities thanks the efforts of multiple parties. Had anyone died… well Ichigo knew how brutal he could be. Still, he didn’t want to think about what he’d have done to Uryū. Technically, nobody but Ichigo and Uryū had proof of what he’d done but he could tell his friends knew. While Orihime seemed saddened by his actions, Sado had accepted it when Ichigo said it’d been necessary and Tatsuki had silently clapped him on the shoulder.</p><p>As Ichigo walked back from lunch, he turned a corner and bumped into Nemu. As always, she showed none of their usual closeness while acting as a teacher. Instead, she merely scolded him like he was just another student, “Do watch where you’re walking, Kurosaki-kun.” Before he could even reply, she’d already walked off, leaving the teenager scratching his head in annoyance. As Ichigo lowered his hand, he felt something in his shirt pocket that hadn’t been there before. Reaching in, he pulled out a piece of paper. Scrawled on it was a short message: “Meet me in the shopping district after school. Plan to be out past dinner.” <em>‘Why not just tell me? It’s not like our relationship, such as it is, is actually a secret. Hell, I’m pretty sure half the class is spiritually aware at this point.’</em> In the end, Ichigo decided to just shrug it off as one Nemu’s eccentricities.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Hours later found Ichigo wandering the shopping district, trying to find his roommate/trainer/undefined. For once he wasn’t dressed for school or training, instead wearing dark pants and a purple shirt with the words “Nice Vibe” printed on the front and a pair of wristbands on his right wrist. <em>‘Meet her in the shopping district she says. Would it have killed her to narrow it down a bit more than that?’</em> Already he’d been searching for twenty minutes and had seen neither hide nor hair of the woman. It was times like this he regretted not having her phone number. Just as he decided to check the nearest ice cream parlor again, the strawberry heard Nemu’s voice call him, “Ichigo-kun!” Turning in the direction of her voice, Ichigo finally spotted the young woman. To his surprise, she actually appeared dolled up. The Violette was clad in a blue qipao decorated with pale yellow butterflies. Once more her hair was tied up in an ornate bun and held in place by ornamental pins. Just above her ear was a hair corsage designed to look like a red rose. Finally, a touch of eyeshadow brought out Nemu’s emerald eyes.</p><p>Ichigo couldn’t help but stare at the Shinigami. He’d learned early and often that she was a very sexy woman and had always known she was attractive. But this was the first time he saw her as truly breathtaking (being choked during training didn’t count). Suddenly, Ichigo couldn’t help but feel underdressed. Regardless, he walked over and said, “Nemu, I was looking all over for you. You look amazing.” In response, Nemu’s face lit up with one of her small smiles. They never failed to make Ichigo feel special, knowing she never smiled for anyone else. Without needing to say more, the pair went on their way, Nemu leading.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>After having dinner at a local ramen shop, the pair walked through the Karakura Community Park. As the sun set, Nemu broke the comfortable silence, “I don’t believe I’ve said this before Ichigo-kun, but you really have impressed me. Your growth has been beyond phenomenal. In mere months, you’ve advanced from roughly a Tenth Seat in power to thirteen percent stronger than I was with my seal on. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any trainee advancing the way you have. Not even the prodigies such as Captain Hitsugaya.” Nemu paused for a moment and gave a small smile before continuing, her voice more wistful now, “Moreso, you’ve shown me so much in my time here.  Affection, friendship, ice cream. I confess, I will miss this when I leave.”</p><p>“Thanks, but what do you mean by seal? And more importantly, why are you talking like you’ll be leaving so soon? I know you expected to have recovered by now, but I thought you were still having trouble regaining your powers?” Ichigo wasn’t sure if he was more confused or concerned by Nemu’s words. Though far from the most emotive person, she still had multiple tells in her body language that he’d picked up over the last couple months. And right now, Nemu’s body said she was anxious as he’d ever seen her.</p><p>Her smile turning towards affectionate exasperation, Nemu answered his initial question first, “I mentioned when we met that I was Lieutenant of Twelfth Division. With one exception, lieutenants and captains are stronger than the rest of their division combined. As such, when we venture into the Living World, a seal is placed that restricts eighty percent of our power so as to avoid undue interference with mortals.” The Violette’s smile fell and she answered Ichigo’s second question with one of her own, “Do you remember the night we met?” Ichigo’s expression all but shouted how impossible that would be to forget. “I didn’t tell you at the time, but empowering a human… making them a Substitute Shinigami… is highly illegal. The only other time a Substitute was created, he eventually betrayed Soul Society and killed several Shinigami to steal their power.”</p><p>“Okay, I can understand why you did it even if it was illegal, but why did the other Substitute betray Soul Society?” Ichigo questioned. Sure, the whole illegality thing was troublesome, but what’s done is done. He could deal with the consequences when they came.</p><p>“He learned Soul Society was monitoring him to determine if he was a threat,” Was Nemu’s rather deadpan response. Having expected a more… reasonable motivation, Ichigo barely kept from facepalming. <em>‘Of course they were monitoring him! He’s a fricking unknown who was suddenly given superpowers! They’d have to be morons to not keep an eye on him!’</em>  Correctly reading Ichigo’s expression, Nemu continued, “I see you understand. Obviously, he didn’t. Regardless, Soul Society is certainly aware of my actions by now. Your deeds have largely gone unnoticed, but a Menos Grande is impossible for Twelfth Division’s sensors to miss. Soon enough, Shinigami will be dispatched to detain me and take me back to Soul Society for my trial.”</p><p>At this, Ichigo sputtered. “But you saved my family! And if you hadn’t, everyone in Karakura would’ve died with no Shinigami patrolling, right? You said so yourself! Surely they’ll let you off for that!” He couldn’t comprehend the idea of someone being punished for what Nemu did. More than that, he refused to <em>let</em> anyone punish her for it. It didn’t matter who he had to fight.</p><p>Nemu shrugged in response, “Possibly. Extenuating circumstances such as ours might reduce my sentence, but it’s difficult to say. As you are only the second Substitute Shinigami,  there’s no precedent for what could be considered ‘justified’.” Here, Nemu paused. After a moment where she seemed to be weighing her options, she continued, “But there’s something else I wanted to tell you while I had the opportunity.”</p><p>Wrapping her arms around his neck, the Violette grabbed Ichigo by the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss. Ichigo’s eyes widened in shock before they closed, and the teen embraced their liplock, pulling her closer to him. Though both were clumsy with inexperience, their passion more than made up for their lack of technique. While one of her hands remained fisted in his hair, the other took the time to explore Ichigo’s body in earnest. Similarly, the teen’s hands moved from where he’d awkwardly held them at his sides. After a few seconds of running along the Shinigami’s body, his hands eventually found their home underneath her dress, squeezing her juicy rear. Despite himself, Ichigo couldn’t help but jump slightly when Nemu’s hand grabbed one of his ass cheeks in return. Finally, after what might have been centuries or mere minutes, the two broke apart. Both of them were out of breath and redder than either had ever seen. With the most dazzling smile she’d ever shown, Nemu declared, “Thank you, Ichigo-kun. For everything.”</p><p>A quiet cough off to the side caused the pair to leap apart. Standing several meters away were a man and woman in Shinigami robes. The woman was roughly Nemu’s age and slender with dark hair she kept pinned up and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. The man appeared middle-aged, his long brown hair in a ponytail and a scruffy beard on his face. Atop his head was a straw hat and over his robes, he wore both a white haori and a pink flower-print kimono. With an apologetic smile on his face, the man spoke, “Sorry to break up such a touching moment. Really, I am. But I’m afraid we’re here to arrest you, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi. If you wouldn’t mind coming quietly, we can be on our way.”</p><p>Moving to stand in front of Nemu, Ichigo quickly took a Gikon out of his pocket and swallowed it. As Ichigo emerged in his Shinigami form, Alfred brushed off his borrowed body. “Oh? Need me to do your homework again while you have fun cavorting across the cit….y,” The fake soul trailed off as he spotted the pair of Shinigami standing opposite Ichigo, “Never mind, I can see you’re busy. I’ll just leave you to it then.”</p><p>Ichigo glared at the pair of Shinigami and snarled, “I know who you are, and I don’t give a damn. I’m not letting you take Nemu. If you want her, you’ll have to go through me.” No matter how reluctant he’d originally been to be a Shinigami, the strawberry still owed her a debt he doubted he could repay. Drawing his sword, Ichigo prepared to fight off both of the Shinigami at once if need be.</p><p>The older of the two waved off his junior’s attempts to get involved. “No need, Nanao-chan. I can handle this. Trust me lad, you don’t want to do this. But if you’re going to insist, my name is Kyōraku Shunsui, Captain of Eighth Division.” Despite his apparent willingness to fight, Shunsui didn’t draw his Zanpakutō or even move from his relaxed stance.</p><p>“Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami,” Came Ichigo’s terse reply. Further words were unnecessary as Ichigo charged his opponent. Bringing his sword up, Ichigo attempted to thrust it straight into Shunsui’s chest. Instead, to his shock, the captain casually caught the tip between two fingers, stopping him instantly. No matter how he tugged, Ichigo couldn’t so much as budge his Zanpakutō. <em>‘No way. With just his fingers? How can someone so strong exist?’</em> When Shunsui let go, Ichigo quickly jumped back and prepared to attack from another angle. Charging Reiryoku to his feet, Ichigo utilized a bastardized Shunpo to appear at his enemy’s side, slashing at his leg. As Ichigo’s attack neared, the captain kicked casually, knocking his Zanpakutō away like a stray ball. Again, and again, Ichigo attacked from every direction. Again, and again, he was blocked and deflected. Yet never once did Shunsui draw either of his Zanpakutō. Worse, the man seemed more amused than anything.</p><p>Realizing raw power wasn’t going to work here, Ichigo decided to get a little unorthodox. Hoping his plan worked, Ichigo channeled his Reiryoku and declared, “Bakudō #21, Sekienton!” While the Bakudō still didn’t create the smokescreen it was meant to, the large explosion of red liquid nonetheless served to blind Shunsui momentarily. Not yet finished, Ichigo prepared his next move, "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!” Six rods of light slammed into the Shinigami Captain, holding him in place. Still, Ichigo refused to take chances. “Bakudō #62, Hyapporankan! Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku!” A hundred metal poles pinned Shunsui to the ground as a golden chain wrapped around his torso, trapping his arms. With all three of his strongest Bakudō keeping the captain from moving, Ichigo swiftly attacked once more. Appearing behind the man, the substitute charged as much power as he could into his Zanpakutō and swung at the back of Shunsui’s neck. The blade struck true… and stopped cold on his skin.</p><p>“My my. Casting such high level Kidō after only a couple months? You really are something, Kurosaki-kun,” Shunsui said cheerfully. “In fact, you might well be stronger than my Third Seat. Unfortunately,” The man shifted slightly and all three Bakudō holding him in place shattered instantly, “I’m afraid it’s not enough.”</p><p>“Ichigo-kun, stop! You don’t have a prayer against a captain!” Nemu called out, her tone demanding compliance. While she knew Captain Kyōraku was an easygoing man, she also knew the difference in power between them was such he could easily kill Ichigo on accident. Ichigo immediately froze on reflex from Nemu’s tone. It was the very one he’d heard too many times during training when Nemu caught him about to do something especially foolish.</p><p>A friendly smile still on his face, Shunsui added his two cents, “She’s not wrong, son. And to be honest, you’re making her situation worse. Our task is to retrieve Kurotsuchi Nemu and remove her powers from whomever she gave them to. If she genuinely had reasonable justification for her crimes, her sentencing will be far more lenient. But you attacking us just makes things look bad.” Less cheerful and more sympathetic, the man added, “So please, just let us do our jobs. I don’t particularly like it either, but this will be easier on everyone if I can simply remove your powers and take Kurotsuchi-chan back to stand trial. Who knows, maybe you’ll see her again, as a proper Shinigami in Soul Society, if not in your mortal life.”</p><p>In the background, Nanao huffed in disbelief. <em>‘That delinquent as a Shinigami? Maybe the 11<sup>th</sup> Division would have him, but not a proper division.’</em></p><p>At first, Ichigo didn’t respond. Finally, after several seconds of silence, he sheathed his Zanpakutō. Just barely restraining a growl, Ichigo spoke, “Fine. What do you have to do?”</p><p>Shunsui finally unsheathed his Zanpakutō, smile back in place. “I have to impale you through your Binding Chain and Soul Sleep, both of which are right in the center of your ribcage.” At Ichigo’s alarmed look, the older man was quick to assure him, “No need to worry. I may not be as focused on precision as Kuchiki-san, but I’ve been a Captain since before the Roman Empire. You’ll barely feel a thing.” Even as the man finished speaking, Ichigo felt a sudden ache in his chest. Looking down, he saw blood seeping out of him as his Shinigami robes faded to a plain white yukata. <em>‘Fuck. What is with Shinigami and impaling?’</em> Not the most profound thought, but he’d just been stabbed twice.</p><p>As Ichigo started to fall, he was caught by two pairs of arms. On his left side was Nemu and on his right was Shunsui. The pair of them carried him over to the closest bench. Shunsui apologized as they set Ichigo down, “Sorry about that. But trust me, it’s not as bad as it probably looks. Just gotta get you back in your body and you’ll be all patched up in a couple days. Now where did- ah! There you are Gikon-san!” From the bushes lining the walkway came Alfred in Ichigo’s body. “If you’d be so kind, Kurosaki-kun here needs his body back. Then the rest of us will be on our way.”</p><p>Ichigo was returned to his body as Nanao opened a Senkaimon. Though his physical body was uninjured, the teen felt heavy and his eyelids were like boulders. As he fought unconsciousness, Ichigo once more felt Nemu’s lips press against his own. After a few seconds, she released him and spoke directly in his ear, “…” Ichigo’s eyes widened briefly at his companion’s message, but the darkness would not be denied any longer. The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was Nemu walking into a circle of light.</p><p>-]|[-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: And so concludes the Substitute Shinigami arc. Next up will be the prelude to Soul Society arc. As for why this chapter was so late, blame a combination of writer’s block (This entire chapter was a two sentence bullet point in my plans) and real life repeatedly fucking me over. Such as my muffler falling off my car. In other news, sometime this week I will be posting a tie-in for this story which will contain various bits of information about the universe that probably aren’t important enough to be included in the main story.  First three sections/chapters will be information on Soul Society, Quincy, and Hollows/Hueco Mundo. Later ones might contain more specific information such as backstories on characters.<br/>As this is the end of the arc, I’ll be posting the source for every chapter title (most of you probably realized they’re song lyrics.)<br/>Chapter 1: Land of Confusion by Genesis<br/>Chapter 2: Hex Girl by Hex Girls<br/>Chapter 3: Lean on Me by Bill Withers<br/>Chapter 4: Pumping Iron Power by Grailknights<br/>Chapter 5: Last Train Home by Lostprophets<br/>Huge shoutout to Kairomaru and Primordial Vortex for beta-reading. Go read their stuff, they’re both far better than I am.<br/>Finally, “Next time on Vow Of The King! Ichigo is given a crash course in surfing while Orihime admires some black pussy!”</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Feel the Strength Rise from Within!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Speech”<br/><em>‘Thoughts’</em><br/><span class="u">“Zanpakutō”<br/></span><strong>“Hollows/Vizard”</strong></p><p>-]|[-</p><p>The trio’s trip through the Dangai was uneventful. They traveled in silence except for Kyōraku’s apology for “interrupting Nemu’s fun time”, citing that waiting probably would’ve only made things more awkward when he did interrupt. Nemu simply waved him off, stating it was fine. Her tone and the unfamiliar burning in her loins disagreed. Once they left the space between worlds and arrived in Soul Society proper, they were greeted by a new pair of Shinigami. The first was a tall man with black hair and cold grey eyes. He wore a Captain’s haori over his uniform along with a white scarf. In his hair was a number of intricate white headpieces. Next to him was a somewhat taller man with vibrant red hair pulled into a high ponytail. What was visible of his upper body was covered in tribal tattoos and he wore a black visor on his forehead. They were Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji, Captain and Lieutenant of 6<sup>th</sup> Division respectively. It was the former who addressed them, “Captain Kyōraku, we are to escort the prisoner to her cell.” The man paused for a moment as he glanced at Nemu before continuing, his voice as cold and impersonal as ever, “And why is she not shackled? Regardless of her rank, she is still a criminal.”</p><p>Unaffected by his colleague’s tone, Shunsui jovially responded, “Now, now. There’s no need for that. She came along with us willingly after all. Surely we can trust her not to cause a fuss now?” Indeed, the ‘prisoner’ in question was merely standing there, her hands folded in front of her as she waited patiently. By all appearances, she seemed almost bored.</p><p>“That is irrelevant. The law is the law,” Byakuya answered coldly. Glancing at his Lieutenant, Byakuya ordered, “Renji, shackle her.” Renji started slightly before moving to fulfill his orders. Though he was technically the same rank as Nemu, Renji had only been promoted a month ago. As such, he still felt as though he was moving against a superior officer. In contrast to his discomfort, Nemu easily held out her hands to be chained. Once she was bound, Byakuya and Renji led her away without another word.</p><p>Nanao watched them leave and felt a chill down her spine, like someone walking over her grave. Looking around, the bespectacled lieutenant couldn’t see any reason for her discomfort. “Captain Kyōraku, do you ever get the feeling you’ve just made a terrible mistake? One that will cost you dearly?”</p><p>“Not for 100 years now, Nanao-chan,” Shunsui replied, his hat shadowing his face as the Captain remembered his previous Lieutenant.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Back on Earth, the final day of the semester was ending. Gym class ended up being a free period as the school administration couldn’t figure out why they didn’t seem to have a gym teacher. As Ichigo was leaving the school grounds, someone called out to him, “Hey, Kurosaki-san! Wait up!” Turning back, he saw a number of his female classmates heading his way. Rather than Tatsuki or Orihime who he would have expected, it was Ryō, Mahana, Michiru, and Chizuru that were approaching him. Respectively, they were a tall girl with long black hair, a curly haired brunette with the second largest bust in class, a rather shy brunette with short hair, and a redheaded lesbian with an unhealthy obsession with Orihime. As the four reached him, it was the ever-curious Mahana who spoke up in a playfully accusing tone, “Kurosaki, what happened to Kurotsuchi-sensei? Did she run off because you got her pregnant?”</p><p>Sputtering, Ichigo struggled to reply, “P-p-pregnant? What the hell are you talking about?” What little of his mind that wasn’t misfiring in his shock was instead wondering why they remembered Nemu. Most of the school didn’t recall her at all. Even the administrators were confused as to why Kagine had been gone for three months.</p><p>Mahana tilted her head in confusion. “Well, yeah. Everyone knows you two were an item. Heck, half the class is certain you were banging in the storage shed after school.” The other girls present sans Ryō all blushed, especially poor Michiru who was nearly glowing. A proverbial lightbulb went off above Mahana’s head a moment later. “Oh, I get it. You guys thought you were being sneaky. Sorry, but we saw you running off with sensei all the time.”</p><p>Chizuru chimed in, “You lucky bastard, Kurosaki! I’d never cheat on my precious Hime, but Kurotsuchi sensei was something else. Those heavenly melons and that plump, juicy booty! What I wouldn’t give for a taste of those.” At this point, the redhead trailed off into incoherent mumbling, her hands making rather obscene motions. The other girls looked at her awkwardly before taking a step away from the sex-crazed lesbian.</p><p>Ichigo couldn’t take this. Mahana wasn’t entirely wrong but he and Nemu weren’t a couple. At least, they weren’t initially. Not that he was going to tell them that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no idea where Nemu is or why you think I was having sex with her!” Without giving any of them a chance to respond, Ichigo turned around and quickly marched away.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>“Hello Kurosaki-kun.” Ichigo stopped in his tracks at the unknown voice addressing him. Once upon a time, he’d have assumed the voice belonged to one of his classmates that he didn’t interact with much. But even without Nemu’s Shinigami powers, his own spiritual power remained, including his senses. Until the voice spoke up, the side street he was on had been completely empty, the closest people being those who lived in the houses on either side. Now his senses were blaring that someone was standing next to him. Looking around, he saw no one. The only other living being in sight was a black cat lounging on the wall bordering the street… and looking right at him. “Took you long enough to notice me, boyo,” The cat spoke with a voice like an old man, “You’re a little slow, aren’t you?”</p><p><em>‘Definitely a cat. Only a cat could possibly be that smug.’</em> As Ichigo focused his senses, he realized said “cat” not only had a considerable amount of Reiryoku, but it’s Spirit Ribbon was red. With a gasp, Ichigo asked, “You, you’re a Shinigami, aren’t you?”</p><p>The cat equivalent of a smirk on his face, the feline joked, “Well maybe you’re not as slow as I thought, boyo. Indeed I am. My name’s Yoruichi. Kisuke sent me. We thought you might like to know how Nemu’s trial went.”</p><p>Ichigo’s mind instantly switched gears. He moved to grab Yoruichi, wanting to shake answers out of the feline, only for a lightning-fast swipe of his claws to cut open the teens hand. “Gah! Damn those are sharp!” Quickly pulling back his bleeding his hand and cradling it, Ichigo demanded, “You know what happened with Nemu?! Tell me! Is she okay?! Was she pardoned?!”</p><p>Eyes closed as it lounged in the sun, Yoruichi shook his head, “Oh my, no. In fact,” Here Yoruichi cracked open an eye to gaze at him, “She’s sentenced to be executed in forty-one days. Well, it was forty-two days, but my agent couldn’t get me this information before today.” Having delivered the information, he closed his eyes again.</p><p>Slapping a hand over his face, Ichigo’s mind was a chaotic maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. The news of Nemu’s execution, the particular “person” delivering the news, the sheer mess that was the last few months of his life. As a result, the first thing out of his mouth wasn’t demanding to know how Yoruichi had this information. Nor was it about plans to save Nemu. Instead, the first thing out of the strawberry’s mouth was, “You know I’m too young to drink, right?”</p><p>Chuckling in amusement, Yoruichi said, “I’m not offering you any alcohol though.”</p><p>“WELL, YOU FUCKING SHOULD BE!” Ichigo yelled, waving his arms through the air in frustration, “A Shinigami cat just told me his spy in the afterlife said my ghost girlfriend is going to be killed! That sentence shouldn’t exist! That’s something I’d hear in one of Inoue’s ramblings!” As Ichigo continued to rant, Yoruichi sat up on the wall. In an instant, an overbearing pressure slammed down onto Ichigo’s body. His voice cut out as he stared in awe, and perhaps slight terror, of the small feline that was putting out heavier Reiatsu than even the Menos had. Only Shunsui compared.</p><p>As quickly as it came, the pressure vanished. “Now that I have your attention, Kisuke has a way to restore your powers. Between you and your friends, you <em>might</em> have a chance at infiltrating Soul Society and rescuing your ‘ghost girlfriend’.” Yoruichi smirked again for a moment, before continuing, completely serious, “However, should you fail, all of you will likely die. Painfully. Now then, are you in?”</p><p>While Ichigo wanted nothing more than to accept, he remembered Nemu’s comments about Urahara. Most importantly, he remembered her saying it wasn’t normal for Shinigami like him to “retire to the Living World”. As such, he was compelled to ask, “Why are you offering to help me? What’s in it for you and Hat-n-clogs?”</p><p>In response, Yoruichi laughed openly. After he calmed down, the cat answered, “My, my, it seems you aren’t slow at all. Good boy; that suspicion will keep you alive. Personally, it doesn’t affect me one way or the other if the girl lives or dies. <em>I</em> am doing this as a favor to Kisuke. As for him? That’s his story to share, not mine. So once more, are you in?” In the end, what choice did he have but to accept? Ichigo nodded. “In that case, you’d best head to Kisuke’s store. There isn’t much time to waste.” With that, Yoruichi hopped onto Ichigo’s shoulders and laid back down. “Onwards trusty steed.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Thankfully, the pair arrived at the Urahara Shop without any more commentary from the old man cat. Ichigo wasn’t sure what he’d have done if someone spotted him with a talking cat. Pretend to be a ventriloquist maybe? Knowing his luck, Yoruichi would’ve used the opportunity to screw with him for his own amusement. Either way, he was here now, and it was time to find out how to get his powers back. Walking past the little girl he saw last time, Ichigo offered her a smile and received a timid nod in return. In some ways, she made him think of a young Nemu. Combined with the fact she seemed to be roughly the same age as his sisters, and she basically screamed, “I am adorable and helpless; please protect me.” Walking through the door, Ichigo didn’t see anyone else around. So he yelled out, “Oi! Hat-n-clogs! You here?!”</p><p>Ignoring Yoruichi’s chuckled comment about that name never get old, the teen heard Urahara’s voice coming from the back, “In the back, Kurosaki-san!” Ichigo headed towards the back of the store, sliding open the shoji door separating the main store from the rest of the building. In the small, dimly lit backroom, he spotted an open trapdoor with a ladder leading down. Ichigo looked quizzically at the cat still perched on his shoulders, receiving a deadpan stare in turn. Once more, Urahara’s voice called, “Come on down. We <em>are</em> on something of a schedule.”</p><p>Rolling his eyes, made to jump down. He froze, his face a rictus of panic as he pulled his foot back. “What the fuck?” Ichigo stared down into the hole in astonishment. Rather than a basement or small storage space, there was a massive underground room made to look like a rocky wasteland. Shaking his head in disbelief and ignoring Yoruichi’s purring cackles, he started climbing down the ladder. With the walls and ceiling painted to resemble a partially cloudy sky, it was difficult to judge how large the area was, but furthest rocks in every direction suggested it was roughly a square kilometer. And going by how far down the bottom of the ladder was, the room was at least a hundred meters tall.</p><p>After several seconds of Ichigo staring with his jaw unhinged, Yoruichi spoke up, “Yeah, Kisuke does that. This isn’t even the first time he built a giant underground training area. Though that one had a hot spring.” The feline paused a moment before humming in thought, “Hm. Why didn’t he build a hot spring in this one?” The cat’s musing broke him out of his shock, causing Ichigo to continue his descent. As he continued downward, Ichigo wondered if there  was an elevator or something tucked away. There’s no way Hat-n-clogs climbed such a ridiculous ladder whenever he had to leave the room.</p><p>Once he finally reached the bottom, Ichigo made his way towards Urahara and his assistant. A jovial smile on his face, Urahara cheerfully declared, “Can you believe it? I was cleaning the backroom the other day and found this ridiculously huge space under my shop! Who knew such a thing was here?!” The strawberry’s answering stare wasn’t so much flat as outright two-dimensional. Eventually, Urahara gave up on convincing him, “Aww, you’re no fun at all Kurosaki-san.” The next part was muttered top low for Ichigo to hear, “Masaki would’ve played along.” Louder, Urahara continued, “Now, this is where we will execute my three-step plan to make you a Shinigami again!”</p><p>“And how will you do that? I already gave up my powers.” Ichigo asked curiously. Somehow, he doubted Hat-n-clogs was going to use Nemu’s method and transfer his own powers to him. Offhandedly, Ichigo noticed Yoruichi hopping off his shoulders.</p><p>In response, Urahara tapped Ichigo on the head with his cane, pushing the teen’s soul out of his body. Unlike every other time Ichigo had left his body, he was still in his normal clothes and there was a long chain connecting his chest to his physical body. In a tone that screamed ‘I know something you don’t know’, Urahara explained, “Technically, you gave up <em>Kurotsuchi-san’s</em> powers. Your own are still present, though they are dormant. So, we’re going to force your Shinigami powers to awaken.” Glancing behind Ichigo, Urahara smirked wider and said, “And the first thing you have to do is…… survive.” Before Ichigo could ask what the shopkeeper meant, his instincts screamed at him to <strong><em>move!</em></strong> He leapt aside just in time to dodge as the little girl from before cratered the ground he’d been standing one. “Good reflexes, Kurosaki-san. But you’ll need more than that if you don’t want little Ururu-chan to kill you!”</p><p>Pulling her arm from where she’d embedded it in the rock, Ururu launched herself at Ichigo. He scrambled away in a panic. <em>‘Her face may say “Please protect me”, but her fists say, “I must break you”.’</em>  Ichigo’s situation quickly devolved into a brutal game of cat and mouse, if the cat was a Dragon Ball Z character. Each evaded attack gouged craters in the earth or collapsed rock formations. As the teen dodged near Urahara, the blonde tossed a headband at him. “Put that on, Kurosaki-san, and say “Amazing headband of justice in place! Amazing armor of justice protect me!” It should help.”</p><p>Barely avoiding an axe kick that left a crater deeper than he was tall, Ichigo followed the eccentric former Shinigami’s instructions. Slapping the headband in place, he shouted, “AMAZING HEADBAND OF JUSTICE IN PLACE! AMAZING ARMOR OF JUSTICE PROTECT ME!!” Rather than a suit of armor forming, all that happened was Urahara and Yoruichi collapsing in laughter. Despite the danger he was still in, Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch at their antics. “Imma kill em.” He tossed the useless headgear on the ground. But first, he had to survive an unholy murder machine shaped like a little girl. A little girl who’d just grabbed his shoulder while he was distracted. ‘Oh ffffuuuuuu-!’ With a heave, Ururu threw him back first into one of the few rock formations she hadn’t destroyed yet.</p><p>Were he still in his body, Ichigo was sure he’d be coughing up blood. ‘Fuck, she’s really going to kill me at this rate. …Wait, if I can dodge her attacks, I should be able to hit her back. She might be a little girl, but if I don’t take her down, I’m dead.’ When she appeared in front him again, Ichigo shifted to the side, causing her jab to go wide. In the moment before her next attack, he threw a punch of his own at her face. While it connected, the girl didn’t even flinch. In fact, her gaze became utterly robotic, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She grabbed his wrist and flipped bodily above him, her leg extended to deliver a kick that was sure to splatter his brains all over the rocks behind him. Fortunately, Urahara appeared at the last instant and grabbed Ururu’s ankle. The kick still created a shockwave that blew Ichigo back and kicked up a dervish of dust. “Well done, Kurosaki-san! You’re still alive! You’ve passed the first test! Now, the second test can begin!”</p><p>Faster than Ichigo could react, Tessai severed his Chain of Fate with a large axe. As Ichigo panicked at the sight, Tessai’s full weight landed on his back. A moment later, a massive pit formed underneath both of them. While Ichigo lay prostrated on the floor, Tessai stepped from his back and backpedaled away. The massive man clapped his hands together and Ichigo found his arms bound behind his back by thick, black straps. Tessai sat cross-legged on the bottom of the pit and calmly spoke, “My apologies, but for the duration of this test, you will not be permitted the usage of your arms.”</p><p>Ichigo struggled to maneuver himself into an upright position. Shortly after he’d managed to sit up, Urahara peered over the edge of the hole and called down, “The goal of this test is simple. This is the Shattered Shaft. It’s filled with a gas that will accelerate your Chain of Fate’s encroachment, turning you into a Hollow. You have three days to climb out. If you fail, we’ll be forced to exterminate you.” Ignoring Ichigo’s shouts of outrage and disbelief, the man continued, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of your body while you’re down there. Tessai will keep track of your progress. I’m afraid I have some errands to run.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Later that same day, Sado, Orihime, and Tatsuki arrived at the Sukari Building, looking around for the one who was supposed to train them. That weird shopkeeper had told them about Nemu’s pending execution and Ichigo’s desire to save her. Naturally, they all volunteered to help but were told they’d have to train in their new powers first. Uryū had been invited as well but had refused. Initially Tatsuki thought it was because his broken legs wouldn’t allow him to help. But the Quincy had revealed that he had a way to fix his legs in just a few days. Though more interesting was his mention of potential help. The boy refused to go into details beyond saying his “cousins” happened to be visiting and might be interested.</p><p>Since they were supposed to be training, all three chose something easy to move in. For Sado, this meant a sleeveless shirt with loose pants. Tatsuki naturally chose her karate gi and unsuccessfully tried to convince Orihime to borrow one as well. Instead the other girl wore a sports bra under an A shirt along with a tennis skirt, despite Tatsuki’s insistence she shouldn’t wear a skirt while exercising. Not that it seemed to matter as the three of them were the only ones present. Their mysterious trainer was running late apparently. Just as Sado was about to ask if maybe they got the time wrong, a curious “Mreow,” broke the silence. Looking down, the trio spotted a small black cat winding around Orihime’s legs and looking up at them. Ever fond of cute animals, Orihime immediately picked up the feline, cooing in joy, “Oh~, what an adorable little pussy!”</p><p>Tatsuki choked on her best friend’s phrasing while Sado turned scarlet and started coughing repeatedly. Before either could say anything about the ditzy girl’s choice of words, the cat <strong>responded</strong>, “Why thank you. Yours is rather nice as well.”</p><p>That the cat sounded like an old man was less important than the fact it could talk. Cats weren’t supposed to talk! Clearly, Orihime didn’t get the memo, as her only reaction was to smile wider and cheerfully reply, “How nice of you to say! I just trimmed it this morning!” It seemed a talking cat was less important to her than accepting a compliment. At this point, Sado really wished the ground would just swallow him up. Ichigo could go to Soul Society on his own.</p><p>Tatsuki decided the best course of action was ignoring one elephant in the room so she could address the other. “Wait a second! Why and how the hell is a goddamn cat talking?!” She could deal with the soul eating monsters and the magic ghosts. But she drew the line at talking animals. At this point, the tomboy was wondering if the whole world was a lie.</p><p>Smug as only a cat can be, Yoruichi replied, “I’m talking because it’d be hard for me to train you otherwise. I am Yoruichi.” Suddenly, a tremendous spiritual weight pressed down on all three humans as Yoruichi’s gaze become outright menacing, “And for the next three weeks, I will be the one you hate with every fiber of your being.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Ichigo was laying on his stomach, trying to think of a way out of his current predicament. Trying to climb out with only his feet hadn’t worked. Nor had attempting to run up the walls. Once more wriggling himself into a sitting position, the strawberry thought hard, trying to find a way out of his predicament. Round and round his thought went until he barely noticed them anymore. Everything grew quiet and Ichigo’s awareness of his surroundings faded…</p><p>“<em><span class="u">How long are you going to waste your time sitting there, Your Majesty?</span></em>” Ichigo’s eyes shot open as a woman’s voice sounded close by. Though he was still sitting  on a stone floor, his arms were free, and the pit was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the ground beneath him appeared to be made out of stone bricks. Furthermore, the sky above him wasn’t the painted blue of Hat-n-clogs basement, but swirls of greens with numerous floating islands in place of clouds. Turning his head to the side, the strawberry saw a pair of legs encased in metal armor. As he moved his gaze upward, Ichigo realized that they were the legs of a woman, clad in what he vaguely recognized as the sort of armor European knights wore. Where her leg armor met her breastplate, the woman wore a blue skirt with gold accents. Upon her shoulders was a white cloak with a fur-lined mantle. Atop her long blonde hair, tied in a braided bun, was a thin golden crown. Finally, her eyes glowed a bright green. Despite her words, she wasn’t looking at him. Instead she stared out over the battlements of what Ichigo realized was a castle. She must’ve sensed his gaze though, as she soon chastised him in that otherworldly voice of hers, “<em><span class="u">Staring is unbecoming of you, Your Majesty. Besides, this really isn’t the time for such things I’m afraid.</span></em>”</p><p>Raising to his feet, Ichigo looked out towards where the mysterious woman indicated. Down below the castle was a massive field with a seemingly infinite number of swords embedded into the ground. From where they stood, Ichigo could spot European swords, Japanese swords, and many he couldn’t even begin to guess the origin of. Rather than focus on the view, Ichigo turned towards his companion. “Where am I? And who are you?” For all he knew, he’d never met this strange woman before. The familiarity he felt with her was rather baffling.</p><p>The blonde knight gave Ichigo a small smile and replied, “<em><span class="u">We are in your Inner World, Your Majesty. The manifestation of your soul. As for who I am? Surely Your Majesty already knows my name.</span></em>”</p><p>That last part was said almost in jest, yet Ichigo could hear the importance there. She was testing him. More importantly, she was right. Once he thought about it, Ichigo knew exactly what her name was. Unbidden, her name spilled from his lips, “Eien-ō.”</p><p>The now named Eien-ō smiled just a little bit wider. “<em><span class="u">You wouldn’t be who you are if you couldn’t answer that, my liege. …Now, the time has come for you to take your rightful place once more. Find me, Your Majesty. Find my blade and reclaim your powers!</span></em>” With that, Eien-ō faded away, leaving him alone. Seeing no alternative, Ichigo wandered off the battlements and into the castle proper. The castle was just like he had imagined a real European castle would be. There was a throne room, a ballroom, a smithy, even stables. Yet no matter where he looked though, he couldn’t find anything that told him where Eien-ō could be. Eventually, Ichigo’s feet took him outside. Staring out at the field of blades, he briefly pondered if one of those was hers. After a moment, Ichigo disregarded such a notion. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew Eien-ō wouldn’t be found out there. <em>‘Damnit. How am I supposed to find her in this place? She could be anywhere! …Wait, I’m an idiot. Spirit Ribbons!’</em> Concentrating, Ichigo saw countless ribbons form, but only one was the vivid scarlet of a Shinigami. Grabbing hold of it, the teenager followed the ribbon to one of the stone bricks right at the entrance to the throne room. As he reached for it, the stone turned into a sword. Eien-ō reappeared on the other side of the blade, standing tall and proud, “<em><span class="u">Where else would I be, but standing between my king and his enemies? Take up the blade, Your Majesty, and allow me to cut down all who oppose you.</span></em>” Nodding to her, Ichigo took the hilt in both hands and pulled it free.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>In the Living World, Urahara looked up in surprise at the pillar of Reiryoku pouring out of the Shattered Shaft. Jinta awkwardly scrambled back from the edge, yelling in shock. In contrast, Urahara hummed in interest, “My, my, you certainly are full of surprises, Kurosaki-san. Barely more than a day and already finished. Though I can’t help but wonder what that means for that one contingency plan. Ah well, that’s why you always have more than one.” As he mused, the energy output died down and a dark figure leapt out of the pit and landed only a few meters away. There stood Kurosaki Ichigo, once more clad in his Shinigami robes, an ōdachi strapped to his waist. Raising his voice, Urahara addressed the new Shinigami, “That’s two tests passed Kurosaki-san. And in record time to boot. Now is time for the third test-“</p><p>However, Urahara was interrupted by Ichigo dashing forward, drawing his Zanpakutō, and slashing upwards, only just missing the shopkeeper’s face. “I swore to myself I’d kick your ass if I ever got out of there,” Ichigo growled.</p><p>Far from intimidated, Urahara merely smiled and replied, “Wonderful! For you see, the final test is to knock off my hat. Unlike the previous tests, this one has no time limit.” Shifting his cane to his left hand, Urahara pulled on the head, revealing a sword hidden within the walking aid. “Shall we begin?” And thus, the two were off. Clashing again and again, the two sought to overpower each other. Or, as Ichigo was quickly realizing, he sought to overpower Urahara. The “retired” Shinigami held him back with ease. Even as Ichigo strained both arms until they shook, his opponent maintained his block with a single hand. Indeed, the strawberry’s struggles were met with mockery, “Really, Kurosaki-san, is this the best you can do? Didn’t you swear to ‘kick my ass’?” With a sudden swing of his sword, Urahara sent Ichigo sliding backwards. “Perhaps what you need is a little more motivation? Awaken, Benihime.” In a flash of crimson light, Urahara’s cane sword transformed, becoming a relatively short single-edged blade with a U-shaped guard and a bent handle that ended in a red tassel.</p><p>Urahara leapt upwards, seeking to impale Ichigo from above. Though Ichigo dodged the telegraphed attack, causing Benihime to stab into the ground, Urahara simply used the hilt as a pivot to kick him in the face. With a snarl, Ichigo slashed at the blonde man while his sword was still embedded in the ground. A foot lashed out and his attack was blocked by one of Urahara’s wooden sandals. The young Shinigami found himself growling in frustration. Once again, he was outmatched by an enemy who seemed to be every bit his superior. He needed to be stronger. He needed to win. What good was his resolve without the power to back it? “<em><span class="u">Use me, Your Majesty. Use my power. Let me fulfill my oath.</span></em>” Eien-ō’s voice was more than earnest; it was outright eager. <em>‘Of course, how foolish of me. I’m not fighting alone, am I?’</em></p><p>Swinging his sword behind him, Ichigo declared, “Reclaim your throne, Eien-ō!” A blue light pulsed down the length of his Zanpakutō, transforming his ōdachi into a kriegsmesser. The blade changed only slightly beyond growing shorter and slightly wider, while the guard became a simple straight bar. Finally, the handle straightened and now appeared to be sharkskin with silver wire wrap. With a loud roar, Ichigo swung his blade forward in a horizontal slash. From the arc of his slash appeared dozens of spectral duplicates of Eien-ō, all of which immediately launched at Urahara as they formed. Though surprised by such an unusual technique, especially right off the bat, the former captain nonetheless deflected each blade that was aimed for his body. Just as he relaxed, the man felt a slight breeze through his hair. From the top of his head fell his faithful hat, having been pierced through by one of the swords he’d ignored.</p><p>Gazing down at his torn hat, Urahara commented, “It seems you killed my hat, Kurosaki-san.” His reply was a soft thud. Looking up, he saw that Ichigo had collapsed to the ground, unconscious. “Guess you used up all your Reiryoku in that stunt. Hardly surprising. Still, you’ll need your rest. Because when you wake up, the real training begins.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Yoruichi looked upon his students with satisfaction. Orihime’s Shun Shun Rikka fluttered around her while Sado’s left arm was transformed into his Brazo Derecho del Gigante and Tatsuki’s Ryū no Senshi form was active, her hands clawed and horns sprouting from her forehead. Initially, he’d worried it would take them longer, but they’d managed in roughly a day and a half. “Well done all of you. Now that you can activate your powers at will, the real training begins.” Suddenly, a second Yoruichi appeared on the opposite side of the training area. “All of you.” A third Yoruichi spoke up from one of the building’s windowsills, “Versus all of me.” As Yoruichi finished speaking, dozens more seemingly burst into existence.</p><p>Sado was the one to ask the obvious, “We’re fighting an army of cats for training?” Even as he spoke, it seemed like the cats in the vicinity were multiplying. Everywhere the three of them looked was a sea of black cats with yellow eyes staring at them.”</p><p>Yoruichi’s laughter came from every direction at once, yet it didn’t sound like a crowd of people were talking. “Not at all. You didn’t think I was just a talking cat, did you? I thought I’d show off a little is all. This “army” is merely my speed clones. Now let’s begin.” With that, every cat leapt at the trio at once.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Ichigo awoke with a jolt. The general weight of his form told him he was back in his own body. He was lying on a futon in an unfamiliar room. Going by the boxes stacked up nearby and lack of personal touches, it was a spare room used for storage. As if on cue, Urahara chose that moment to walk in. As ever, he was clad in his dark green shihakushō and black haori. “You’re awake Kurosaki-san! That’s good; it means we can continue your training.”</p><p>Abruptly sitting up, Ichigo threw back the banket covering him. “Training?! Now that I’ve got my powers back, we should be rescuing Nemu right away!” Why would they waste time when he should be fine as he was? Nemu couldn’t afford for him to waste time.</p><p>In an instant, Ichigo found himself flat on his back with Urahara’s cane holding him down, the man’s Reiatsu threatening to crush him. For once, the man’s jovial mood was nowhere to be found. His voice was as hard and unfeeling as steel, “Listen to me very carefully, Kurosaki-san. You have no idea what you and your friends will be getting in to. You think you know how strong your enemies are? Shunsui had eighty percent of his power sealed away and he still toyed with you. Right now, you’re stronger than any Third Seat. But a lieutenant is stronger than the rest of the division under them combined and captains are stronger still. As you are now, you and all of your friends would die if you attacked Soul Society.” Here, Urahara’s cane pushed down just a bit harder, causing Ichigo to wheeze a little bit. “There’s still thirty-nine days left before Kurotsuchi-san’s execution. You will be training for nineteen of them. Then, I’ll need another day or two to secure your passage to Soul Society, leaving you and your friends with two and a half weeks to rescue Kurotsuchi-san. If you don’t like it, find another way to Soul Society. Understood?”</p><p>Ichigo nodded warily and the pressure vanished. Urahara removed his cane and instead helped Ichigo to his feet. As the shopkeeper turned to leave the room, Ichigo remembered his earlier question to Yoruichi. “Why <em>are</em> you helping me? What do you get out of all of this?”  The man was strong, far too strong to have been an ordinary Shinigami. And his seemingly random skills stood out even more. Whoever Urahara used to be, he was important.</p><p>Urahara paused. Turning back to Ichigo, the man tilted his hat downwards, further shadowing his eyes, before answering, “I’ll warn you now: you’re not going to like my answer. Over a century ago, I was a Captain in Soul Society. Captain of 12<sup>th</sup> Division specifically. Once, a novel experiment went wrong, creating a wonderous device I called the Hōgyoku. What it does is immaterial. What matters is that it was extremely dangerous, and completely immune to all the methods I tried to use to annihilate it. Eventually, I theorized that if placed I it in a special Gigai – one designed to permanently render someone powerless – along with a Shinigami, the Hōgyoku could be rendered inert.” Urahara sighed and answered Ichigo’s next question before he could even ask, “I dared not test it on myself, lest it fail and those who sought the Hōgyoku be able to steal it away despite my efforts. But fortune smiled upon me and I came across young Kurotsuchi-san, in need of help. I thought to myself, ‘Why not use her? Not only could I prevent the Hōgyoku from being misused, but I’d also be objectively improving her life by getting her away from her father.’ So, I hid the Hōgyoku inside her Gigai.” The former Shinigami sighed again, heavier this time, clearly regretting what had happened. “But she was found out. Now she’s facing execution and my enemies are poised to steal away the Hōgyoku. To make a long story short, Kurosaki-san, I’m helping you because this situation is mostly my fault to begin with.”</p><p>Ichigo moved to speak, but was cut off, “And no, I can’t go to Soul Society with you. I am far too high profile. Should they detect me, we’d be swarmed by captains in a heartbeat. Better that you and your friends try to fly under the radar.” Once more, Urahara turned to leave. At the door, he paused and said over his shoulder, “Tessai will be waiting for you in the training area. He will be your sparring partner until I need his help finalizing your passage.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Down in the basement, Ichigo stood across from Tessai in his Shinigami form. Unlike himself, the large man was unarmed. As he drew his Zanpakutō, Ichigo asked, “Shouldn’t you have your Zanpakutō if we’re going to spar?” Despite his words, he still made sure to enter a ready stance. The people at this shop had proven far too powerful to not take seriously. And far too prone to attacking immediately for that matter.</p><p>“Actually, Kurosaki-san, I prefer to use Kidō for combat. I don’t know if Urahara-dono told you, but I used to be Captain of the Kidō Corps. As such, I don’t use my Zanpakutō very often.” Ichigo nodded his acceptance. In a way it made sense for him to be fighting Tessai. Between Nemu and Hollows, he had plenty of experience fighting melee opponents. Fighting someone who preferred ranged combat would only round him out as a fighter. Plus, he might be able to duplicate some of Tessai’s Kidō if he paid attention to the incantations. Said plan was immediately thrown out the window when Tessai raised a hand and fired a crimson orb of energy without a word.</p><p>Immediately dodging, Ichigo knew now wasn’t the time to hold back. He held his Zanpakutō high and declared, “Reclaim your throne, Eien-ō!” His Shikai released, he dashed forwards, hoping to fight Tessai too close for the man to properly cast. But when Tessai held up a hand and formed a rod of energy he recognized as the beginning of Hyapporankan, Ichigo was forced to abandon his charge lest he be pinned in place. The Kidō master didn’t relent, firing off pinpoint blasts from his index fingers next. When Ichigo proved capable of dodging or deflecting those, Tessai launched a massive yellow blast of lightning with one hand while the other traced an inverted triangle, firing three glowing fangs at the teen. Ichigo quickly parried two of the fangs with Eien-ō, but the third struck his foot, pinning him in place. The yellow blast struck him dead on, dispelling the Bakudō holding him in place and sending him flying.</p><p>Pulling himself off the ground, Ichigo briefly checked himself over. Finding nothing broken or bleeding too badly, he decided he was alright to continue. “Damn. He is way too good at using Kidō. Still, if I can find a way to close the distance, maybe flank him, I might be able to win.” Tessai took the opportunity to prove him wrong. Slamming his hands into the ground, a massive tsunami of lava formed in front of Tessai. Easily six meters tall and ten times that in width, the wave held its position for only a second before surging forwards at incredible speeds. Ichigo stared upwards in shock and terror. “I was not ready for today.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>“I think that went rather well.” Yoruichi’s cheerful comment was met by a trio of glares. All three had been scratched, sliced, slashed, and altogether cut up by the cat for hours every day. If not for Orihime’s Sōten Kisshun restoring their clothing on top of healing their injuries, all of them would likely be functionally nude. It seemed nothing was off limits to the little hell beast masquerading as a cat. Hell, forget off limits, he seemed to delight in scratching and biting them wherever he thought it would hurt the most. Heedless of their impotent rage, the feline continued, “Although, I did notice a rather glaring problem. Orihime, you haven’t tried to attack me once. All you’ve done is shield and heal. Normally, such a strategy would be acceptable, but your three abilities are all ranged and can be used separately from one another. Explain.”</p><p>Orihime fidgeted nervously at suddenly being put on the spot. She wasn’t a confrontational person, never had been. “Um, you see, I- I don’t like hurting people or fighting. People shouldn’t have to fight each other.”</p><p>“Adorable,” Yoruichi’s sarcasm was thick enough to choke on, “And what are you going to do when your pacifism gets people killed? We don’t live in a shonen anime where love and friendship conquer all.”</p><p>“Hey! Lay off Hime!” Tatsuki interrupted, her teeth bared at the one disparaging her best friend. She’d fought plenty of bullies before who tried to victimize the passive girl before.</p><p>“No, I don’t think I will. We are going to <strong>war</strong> with Soul Society, in case that hasn’t penetrated your heads yet. This isn’t a game. You will be <em>fighting </em>and you may be <strong>dying</strong>. Do you know what pacifism accomplishes in war? Death.” Yoruichi’s words cut through them like knives. But he wasn’t done yet, “<em>But</em>, I know words won’t make someone change their ways so easily. So I have a solution. Orihime!” The cat’s voice changed from annoyed condescension to an angry hiss. His aura became oppressive and deadly. “Either you kill me, or I kill Tatsuki!”</p><p>With that, he leapt at Tatsuki, claws out. Orihime quickly placed her Santen Kesshun between them, but Yoruichi simply blurred from sight and appeared on the other side. Sado tried to intercept was too far away to make it in time. Never before had he cursed his own helplessness. He was strong and tough, but he wasn’t fast. The massive teen ran as fast as he could but knew he wouldn’t make it in time. He’d seen Yoruichi cleave all the way through concrete dividers so he knew she could kill Tatsuki. Even as he saw Tatsuki move, to dodge or to attack he couldn’t say, both of them knew Yoruichi was just too fast. “<em>Koten Zanshun!</em> <strong><em>I reject!</em></strong>” Faster than any of them had ever seen, Orihime’s attack blazed through the air, moving even faster than Yoruichi himself. Indeed, the bright orange shield pierced right through the cat, splitting him in half before continuing into and through the building behind him.</p><p>A moment later, both halves faded away into nothingness. “Well done.” All three, still high on adrenaline from Tatsuki’s near death, whipped their heads towards the voice, ready to fight once more. Yoruichi sat, cool as you please, on the old pool table Nemu had once brought there. “You finally showed some proper killer instinct and passed the test. However, it’s rather late so we’ll wrap things up here.” The black cat hopped off the pool table and walked away from the lot. Over his shoulder, he called, “Do make sure you’re here bright and early tomorrow!”</p><p>The trio stood there in shock for several seconds, frozen by the mood whiplash. When the spell broke, a tearful Orihime ran to hug the friend she’d nearly lost. Tatsuki quietly returned her hug. Once she’d gotten her own racing heart under control, the tomboy muttered, “I think I hate that fucking cat.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Nemu sat silently in her cell. Mere days ago, she’d been sentenced to death by the Central 46. Despite her hopes, they’d absolutely refused to hear of any extenuating circumstances and declared that “the punishment must be the same regardless of circumstances”. Though given she’d once heard a rumor that Captain Hitsugaya had to fight someone to the death because they both possessed the same Zanpakutō (Her creator had been furious at the loss of potential research material), she wasn’t overly surprised. If she was to die, then so be it. Still, she wanted to see Ichigo-kun again. To be held by him again. Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by a heartless voice she knew all too well, “Nemu, you worthless, obtuse simpleton! Not only did you fail to procure any specimens, but now you’re going to be destroyed! Do you have any idea how long it will take to build your replacement, especially without your remains so I can determine why you’re so dysfunctional?!” Ordinarily, Nemu would simply accept Mayuri’s abuse. But as he ranted at her, the violette remembered Kurosaki Isshin, a father who was absurd and spastic and overly emotional. A father who loved his children with all his heart and always made sure they knew it. A father who was the polar opposite of her own. In that moment, a thought occurred to the young woman, ‘<em>I think I just might <strong>hate</strong> Mayuri-sama.</em>’ “Don’t ignore me, you moronic waste of space! If it were up to me, I’d-“</p><p>“Pardon, Captain Kurotsuchi, but I’m here to escort the prisoner to the Senzaikyū,” Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane interrupted the amoral scientist’s rant. The tall, grey haired woman stood nervously at the entrance to the holding cells. Incensed, the man turned his glare on the statuesque lieutenant, causing her to burst into apologies once more, “I’m sorry! But it’s the Head Captains orders! Lieutenant Kurotsuchi is to spend the last month before her execution at the Senzaikyū! It’s procedure!” Rather than waste his time arguing with such an insignificant gnat, Mayuri left to his laboratory so he could get started on his next assistant. Once they were alone, Isane turned towards Nemu, who merely gazed back impassively. Quietly, Isane told her, “I am sorry, you know. You don’t deserve to be executed for what you did.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>In three different locations, spiritually aware teenagers completed their training. Near the Karasu River, a recovered Uryū finally allowed his bow to dissipate. Though he was only supposed to maintain it for a week, he’d been training for the last ten days straight. But now, he knew he was strong enough. Strong enough to fight the Shinigami. And… strong enough to make up for what he’d done. Despite his words, Uryū had known at the time that his “duel” had been childish and petty at best. He’d been blinded though. Blinded by his pride as a Quincy. Blinded by his outrage at someone with Quincy heritage becoming a Shinigami. And most of all, blinded by his grief at losing his grandfather because of the Shinigami. While he knew the others wanted to help rescue Kurotsuchi-sensei out of friendship to either her or Kurosaki, he was doing it out of duty. And perhaps, his duty as a Quincy was more important than his pride as one.</p><p>At the Sukari Building, Sado, Tatsuki, and Orihime rested after their final training session under Yoruichi. The cat was an utter slave driver, but he certainly knew how to make them stronger. While Tatsuki regretted missing Nationals, she didn’t regret devoting her time to training to help her oldest friend. She and Ichigo weren’t as close as they’d been when they were children, but she’d be damned if she let him invade the afterlife alone. Orihime was proud of her new strength, even if her new resolve was still a little shaky. She still didn’t enjoy fighting or hurting others, but she understood that it was sometimes necessary. If her friends got hurt because she hesitated, she’d never forgive herself. For that, she’d always be grateful to Yoruichi. For giving her the strength to defend them. She just hoped she wouldn’t freeze up when it became real. For Sado, it was simple. Ichigo believed Kurotsuchi-sensei was worth laying down his life for. So Sado would lay down his life as well. He and Ichigo had promised to always have each other’s back and he refused to disgrace that vow.</p><p>In Urahara’s basement, Ichigo sat against one of the many boulders, Eien-ō leaning against his shoulder like an old companion. In only a couple days, he and the others would be invading Soul Society to rescue Nemu. The strawberry almost wanted to insist he go alone, but he understood it was their decision to make. He wouldn’t belittle them by insisting it wasn’t safe; they already knew. Maybe if he hadn’t met Kyōraku, Ichigo would feel he had to take on the whole of Soul Society, but he knew they weren’t all his enemies. Speaking of which, Kyōraku had a lot to answer for when Ichigo saw him next. He’d all but guaranteed leniency for Nemu, yet she was set to be executed anyway. Well, he’d get his answers soon enough at any rate. And if saving the woman he loved required he burn down the whole of Soul Society, then so be it. If necessary, he’d build something better atop the ruins. ‘<em>Just wait a little longer Nemu. I’m coming to save you, and </em>nothing<em> will stop me.</em>’</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>On what would be their last night before the big day, Ichigo and his friends all attended the local fireworks display. To Ichigo’s mild surprise, even Uryū came. He was being followed by a pair of young women who quickly split off before Ichigo could get a good look at them. Tatsuki and Orihime had naturally shown up together, a blanket under Tatsuki’s arm, while Sado came on his own. Ichigo had come with his family but had quickly split off from them. He knew he might not see them again, but in some ways, he already felt worlds apart from them. It was like knowing about the greater world had opened a rift between him and others. Ichigo wasn’t sure when he last spent time with someone who wasn’t spiritually aware other than his sisters. Given that Karin could see ghosts but simply refused to acknowledge them and Yuzu’s eyes sometimes lingered in the direction of a spirit, Ichigo wasn’t sure they counted as unaware.</p><p>The five of them all gravitated together naturally. For several minutes, none of them said anything, content to simply share a companionable silence. Eventually, it was Ichigo who broke it, “I can understand why everyone else is going to Soul Society, but what about you Ishida? Why are you going?”</p><p>Uryū adjusted his glasses and calmly replied, “I have a number of reasons. But I suppose the one you’re most interested in is simple. I may have my pride as a Quincy, but I’m not so proud that I can’t understand the need to atone for a mistake.” The answer was honestly not what Ichigo had expected. He’d half expected more emphasis on Uryū’s Quincy pride, maybe something about making sure they didn’t mess things up or wanting to prove his superiority to the Shinigami. Either he’d seriously misjudged the bespectacled teen, or the Quincy had done some serious thinking over the last month and change.</p><p>Nodding his acceptance, Ichigo made his excuses, wanting to spend some time with his family before charging into likely death. Even if there was a gulf between them, it didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to span it. Uryū muttered something about needing to show his cousins around before taking his leave. Sado simply drifted off. Feeling they were already in a good spot to watch the pending fireworks show, Orihime and Tatsuki simply sat down on their blanket. It was as the first firework went off that Tatsuki spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically soft, “Hey, Hime? I-, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say for a while now. Something important. But I never could figure out how to say it.”</p><p>Orihime turned towards her closest friend, watching as the flash of the fireworks illuminated the tomboy’s face. By contrast, Tatsuki was gazing down at the ground. Gently, Orihime prompted her, “What is it Tatsuki-chan? You can tell me anything.” Hoping to bolster her, Orihime placed her hand on Tatsuki’s shoulder.</p><p>Keeping her eyes focused firmly downwards, Tatsuki said, “We’re going to this Soul Society tomorrow. We- we might not come back. I always knew that, but Yoruichi really drove it home. When he was trying to make you more aggressive, when he leapt at me like that, I was so certain I was going to die. And for those few heart stopping seconds, I realized I only had one regret.” Finally, Tatsuki turned to look at her friend. In that moment, as she watched the reflection of the fireworks in Orihime’s eyes, the martial artist was captivated. Still speaking quietly, but firmer now and full of emotion, she said, “My one regret was not telling you how I feel. I- I love you, Hime. I don’t know when it happened, but I can’t picture my life without you in it. I adore everything about you: Your kindness, your cheerfulness, your smile, well, maybe not your cooking.” Tatsuki offered a weak smile at her attempt at lightening the mood. “Anyway, I want to be with you. And-“</p><p>Before she could continue, she was cut off by Orihime’s lips pressing against hers. Their kiss was clumsy and inexperienced but filled with their mutual love for one another. After several seconds, Orihime was the one to break the liplock. Giving that beautiful smile Tatsuki loved so much, she replied, “I love you too, Tatsuki-chan. You’re my best friend, my hero, and my role model. You’re so strong and beautiful, Tatsuki-chan. You’re everything I wish I could be. More than that, you’re the one I want to be with.” This time, it was Tatsuki who initiated the kiss. The two ignored the fireworks happening across the river for each other as they wordlessly expressed their feelings for each other, falling back onto the blanket.</p><p>-]|[-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: Why yes, Ichigo’s Zanpakutō spirit is who you think she is. For what Ichigo’s shikai looks like exactly, look up Skallagrim’s “Knecht Kriegsmesser Review” on youtube. Besides the handle (which looks like something I’d find on a steak knife), I think it looks like an interesting semi-fusion of Eastern and European swords. But more importantly, I think it looks cool as hell. You’ve seen one of its special abilities. But the other won’t show up for a while yet (and by that, I mean I’m not sure when).</p><p>Also until Yoruichi resumes human form, those not in the know will refer to her as a guy, especially because both the subbed and dubbed anime saw fit to give her an old man voice in cat form. Oh and I totally fucked up. For some reason I was sure Bleach took place in 2004, when it’s actually 2001. Rather than fix it, I’m just moving the timeline over three years. Not like it really affects much anyway. Lastly, Orihime and Tatsuki are absolutely NOT in the harem. For this story’s purposes, Orihime is bisexual and has a crush on Ichigo, but she is in love with Tatsuki, who is a lesbian. Neither of them will be romantically involved with Ichigo.</p><p>Translations: For god’s sake, correct me if you know I’m wrong.<br/>Eien-ō: Eternal King/Once and Future King<br/>Yūrei no ken: Ghost Swords<br/>Ryū no Senshi: Dragon Warrior</p><p>Next time on Vow of the King: Sado fists a guy and Kūkaku blows her load all over Seireitei.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. We're an Army of Eight, Ready to Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“Speech”<br/>‘Thoughts’<br/>“Zanpakutō”<br/>“Hollows/Vizard”<br/>“{Speaking a different language}”</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-]|[-</p><p>Ichigo sat awake in his room, watching the window. It was just before 1am, the time Urahara told him to be ready by. Normally being up so late would be a hassle, but Ichigo felt like he couldn’t sleep even if he had tried. Besides the nervous energy from what was coming, without his exhaustion from training to distract him, Ichigo found his bed felt terribly empty without Nemu sleeping beside him. Glancing out the window, Ichigo quickly did a double take. He scrambled to open his window just as a large ball with a caricature of Urahara’s head flew into his room, exploding against the teen’s closet door. The thick red liquid filling the ball sprayed everywhere, forming a message on Ichigo’s wall, “Come to the store in the next thirty minutes.” Rather than leave immediately, he stared in disbelief at Urahara’s chosen contact method. It was like some kind of serial killer wrote a message in his victim’s blood! Just as Ichigo thought that, the liquid oozed lower, revealing a postscript, “If you think this is some sort of serial-killer-writes-a-message-in-his-victim’s-blood thing, you have no sense of humor.” Ichigo deadpanned; in that moment, he truly understood Nemu’s distaste for the eccentric shopkeeper. “Fucking Hat-n-clogs. That better not stain,” the teenager muttered as he jumped out his open window and headed out into the night.</p><p>As Ichigo ran, he crossed paths with Tatsuki and Orihime. The former was wearing her karate gi and a pair of running shoes, while the latter was clad in a pink t-shirt and grey jogging pants with a red stripe on the sides. “Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Did you get a message too?” Orihime was as bubbly as ever. It seemed not even their pending invasion of the afterlife could get her down. Then, less bubbly, she said, “Though Urahara-san didn’t have to say I have no sense of humor.” Ichigo couldn’t help but chuckle at that.</p><p>When they arrived at the Urahara Shop, Sado was already there, clad in dark pants and a white sleeveless shirt with a dark red stripe on the left side. As they approached, Tatsuki asked, “How did you beat us here? And without us seeing you?”</p><p>In response, Sado simply said, “I was out for a walk.” He pointed off to the side as he spoke. The other three turned their heads and saw, less than ten meters away, Urahara’s macabre message on the pavement. All three sweatdropped.</p><p>At that moment, Uryū arrived. And he’d brought company. Though if Ichigo was being honest, he found Uryū’s white getup with its weird half cloak so bizarre that he didn’t notice the other two for several seconds. Both were Caucasian women in white clothing and peaked caps, though that’s where the similarities ended. One was roughly Orihime’s height and had long black hair and brown eyes. She wore a short white trench coat and pleated miniskirt. Her hands were covered in a short pair of gloves and her feet in knee length boots. Finally, she wore a thick black belt with a red heart-shaped buckle. The other woman was considerably taller, only slightly shorter than Ichigo himself. She possessed blue eyes and her waist length hair was lime green and noticeably wilder than her companion’s. Her double-breasted jacket was tied up and unbuttoned along with missing fabric on the sides to better show off her bust. The young woman’s booty shorts were held up by a black belt whose green heart-shaped buckle was on her left hip. Lastly, she wore elbow length gloves and ankle high boots. In all honesty, the pair were probably just as attention grabbing as Uryū was, if for different reasons. Tatsuki was the one who spoke up first, “Oi, Ishida! Who are these two?”</p><p>Uryū looked rather chagrined as he introduced his companions. Gesturing at the brunette and verdette in turn, the Quincy answered, “These are Basterbine Bambietta and Catnipp Candice, my… cousins from Europe. They’ve volunteered to help us rescue Kurotsuchi-san.”</p><p>“Bah! More like we weren’t gonna pass up the chance to smash some Shinigami faces. And we’re not cousins so much as… you know what, let’s go with cousins,” Bambietta’s voice was loud and bold, though noticeably accented, “What’s important is we’re here to kickass and chew bubblegum, and we’re all out of bubblegum.” Bambietta’s attempted boast was undermined by Candice passing her a pack of bubblegum. Bambietta stared blankly at the gum for a moment, before turning and shouting at Candice in English, “{Why the hell do you have bubblegum?!}”</p><p>Candice smirked in response. “{I heard you practicing that line last night.}” The blonde’s voice wasn’t as loud, but she spoke with confidence and a hint of mischief. Though when she addressed the group, her Japanese was even more heavily accented and somewhat broken, “No mind her. She bomb; flash and bang but little substance. Going by Uryū’s comments, you are Kurosaki.” She pointed to Ichigo, who nodded. “So big guy is Chad. Boob girl is Orihime.” Sado blinked at the misnaming before shrugging. Orihime cheerfully waved at the newcomers. Lastly, Candice pointed at Tatsuki, “And you are… Tasski?”</p><p>Recovering from Orihime being crudely (if accurately) described as ‘boob girl’, Tatsuki corrected her, “Tatsuki. Stress the first syllable.”</p><p>The brunette Quincy didn’t take kindly to being brushed off, but before she could retort, Yoruichi made his way outside and addressed them. “Everyone’s here I see, including some… extras.” After looking over the two Europeans, he gave that cat equivalent of a shrug, “Well, you have spiritual powers. So if you’re prepared to die, feel free to tag along I suppose. Now then, c’mon inside. We’ll be giving you some last-minute information while Kisuke finishes his preparations.” His piece said, the feline trotted back into Urahara’s store, most of the humans following him.</p><p>For several long seconds, the two Quincy women stared in silence at the spot Yoruichi had stood. After what seemed an eternity, Candice spoke, “{The cat can talk. The cat can <em>fucking</em> talk! I- I need a goddamn drink.}” Bambietta mutely nodded her agreement. Suddenly, they realized they’d been left alone and promptly hurried inside. Even if they were going over boring details first, the pair didn’t want to miss their chance to kick some ass.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Once everyone had settled in Urahara’s massive basement, and gotten the requisite gawking out of the way, they had all been given information on the most powerful members of the Gotei 13. Mostly it had been about twelve of the thirteen captains in Soul Society. As Yoruichi had explained, their information was slightly out of date so neither he nor Urahara knew who the 10<sup>th</sup> Division captain was. In the end, the advice for captains basically amounted to “Run or surrender. Unless it’s Mayuri or Yamamoto. Run from the former, surrender to the latter.” As for the lower ranks, Yoruichi explained that lieutenants and especially lower ranks change too often for twenty-year-old information to be useful. Furthermore,  unless the group got separated for some reason, they could easily handle any lieutenant or below, barring the lieutenant of 1<sup>st</sup> Division, Sasakibe Chōjirō. Apparently, that man had been a lieutenant for over a thousand years and was stronger than some of the weaker captains.</p><p>As the debriefing wrapped up, Urahara loudly clapped his hands together from where he stood near a large stone frame. With his usual almost obnoxious cheer, Urahara announced, “Excellent timing! We should be ready in just a few minutes. This device will convert your bodies into Reishi so you can properly exist inside Soul Society. However, once the path is opened, I can only maintain it for four minutes. If you do not reach the exit in that time, you’ll be trapped inside forever. So, consider this your last chance to back out.”</p><p>While Yoruichi reassured a hesitant Orihime, Ichigo took a moment to move a bit away from the others. Taking out his Gikon, Ichigo swallowed it for what he hoped wasn’t the last time. Popping out of his body, Ichigo gave Alfred a moment to adjust to having a body before he spoke. “I’m going to Soul Society now. With any luck, we’ll save Nemu and be back here before you know it.” Alfred quietly listened, understanding this was something Ichigo <strong>needed</strong> to say. “My body’s all yours until I get back in a few weeks. Just try not to cause any trouble. And… if I’m not back in three weeks,” Here, Ichigo cut himself off, struggling to say what had to be said. Taking a moment to swallow the lump in his throat, Ichigo finally asked Alfred, “Take care of my sisters, will you?”</p><p>Clapping his hands on Ichigo’s shoulders, Alfred looked him in the eyes solemnly and replied, “Whatever happens sir, it has been an honor.” The teenager stared at him for a long moment before nodding and heading back towards the others.</p><p>“Well, now that we’re all ready, we can begin,” Urahara announced, “As stated before, the Senkaimon can only be maintained for four minutes. Normally, this would be far more than enough time as travel between Soul Society and the Living World is almost instant with the aid of a Hell Butterfly. As we lack Hell Butterflies, you lot will be traveling through a dimension known as the Dangai. So long as you only touch the floor, you will be fine. However, the walls are composed of Kōryū, a constantly flowing current designed to ensnare anything that touches it. If you come in contact with it, you will be instantly and irrevocably trapped. At which point, the only way for everyone else to possibly survive would be to abandon you to your doom.” Despite his grim words, the blonde had his typical carefree grin in place, “Since I’m sure none of you want that, just don’t touch anything. Oh, and if you see or hear anything that sounds like a train? <strong>Run faster</strong>.”</p><p>With that ominous warning, Urahara moved towards the artificial Senkaimon to start it up. Everyone shared nervous but resolute looks as they got ready. As Urahara and Tessai worked their magic, the gate lit open with a near blinding white glow. “Now!” Yoruichi shouted. All eight of them promptly ran through the gate and into the unknown.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>The inside of the Dangai resembled something from the inside of a monster. Or perhaps a particularly unsettling hentai. The floor was mostly normal and seemed to be made of a purple stone. But the walls were made of ever-flowing viscous purple sludge. Despite knowing about the time limit, everyone but Yoruichi paused to gawk, at least until the feline noticed their inattention, “Stare later you fools! We’re on a deadline in case you forgot!”</p><p>That was enough to jolt them all out of their stupor. Everyone resumed their run through the strange corridor-like dimension. As they went, Ichigo asked Yoruichi, “What did Hat-n-clogs mean when he mentioned a train?”</p><p>Without glancing back, the black cat answered, “He was referring to the Kōtotsu, a mass of solidified Kōryū which passes through the Dangai every seven days. Think of it like a street sweeper, if we were a bunch of leaves. For reasons I don’t know, it looks and sounds similar to a bullet train. If it catches us, the result will be no different than if we were stuck in the walls.”</p><p>“Gah!” Uryū’s cry of surprise distracted them from their conversation. Looking back, they saw his cape had gotten caught in the Kōryū. Ichigo went to draw Eien-ō, only to be headbutted by Yoruichi, who shouted at him for being a fool. Instead, Sado simply ripped the cape of Uryū, freeing the Quincy.</p><p>As they neared the exit, Candice spoke up, “This is why I refuse to wear that damn cape.” Tatsuki turned to the girl in confusion at hearing her speak flawless Japanese, but before she could question the European, they made it through the exit. …And out into open air several meters off the ground.</p><p>Even as Tatsuki moved to grab Orihime, the buxom girl called out, “Santen Kesshun, I reject!” The large triangular shield formed underneath them, allowing them and the nearby Uryū to harmlessly float down. Sado grabbed hold of Ichigo with his left arm as his right transformed. Unlike the initial form of his Brazo Derecha de Gigante, this new form had a more pointed shoulder extension, and the magenta designs were more intricate than before. With a grunt, Sado punched towards the ground, his massive strength slowing their descent. Meanwhile, the two Quincy women were seemingly descending through the air as though riding an elevator, a small disk of Reishi under each foot. Lastly, Yoruichi vanished from sight for a fraction of a second, only to reappear on the ground faster than any of them.</p><p>Once everyone had landed, they finally took in their surroundings. They appeared to be in a village straight out of feudal Japan. Everything from the buildings to the dirt road paved with large stone tiles suggested the octet had gone a few hundred years back in time. Yet strangely, there were no people to be seen. They were definitely nearby; all of them could sense plenty of weak souls nearby, but nobody was out in the streets. While the group looked around, Tatsuki asked the question that had been on her mind. Calling to Candice, she asked, “Hey, how did your Japanese suddenly improve so much?”</p><p>The verdette looked at her, blatantly dumbfounded. After an uncomfortably long silence, she replied, “It didn’t. And where the hell did you learn to speak Irish so well?” That question caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at Candice. Barring Bambietta, all of them heard her speak in flawless Japanese just now, with no hint of her earlier accent or broken speech.</p><p>Before they could get too worked up by the mystery, Yoruichi cleared things up, “You’re in Soul Society. Both this world and Hueco Mundo are worlds of souls where there exist no language barriers. As such, everyone hears others as though they were speaking their native tongue.”</p><p>“Huh. Learn something every day I suppose,” Tatsuki muttered. A brief flash of light caught her eye, and when she looked towards it, she spotted something she hadn’t noticed before. A small metal stud glinted in Candice’s navel. Apparently, the Irishwoman had a piercing or two. Looking around, she saw a number of large white buildings in the distance, “Hey, is that the Seireitei over there?”</p><p>Yoruichi looked in the direction she’d indicated and saw Tatsuki was indeed correct. But before he could answer, the others took off in that direction. Alarmed, the feline yelled after them, “Wait! Don’t just run right in!” But it was too late. Positively colossal slabs of stone came crashing down in front of them, forming an enormous wall all around the Seireitei, as did an absolute giant of a man. Standing nearly ten meters tall, he positively dwarfed even Sado, who was the closest to him. The giant wore a Shinigami’s shihakusho though he kept his left arm out of the sleeve. His vaguely apelike face was framed by a pair of sideburns long enough to be tied up in small tufts and atop his head was a giant fez. In his right hand was a massive hand axe. Upon seeing the group, he spoke in a loud booming voice, “Well well. It’s been so long since someone tried to invade through the western gate. I am Ikkanzaka Jidanbō, gatekeeper of the White Road Gate. Who are you, tiny intruder?” The last part was clearly directed at Sado.</p><p>For his part, Sado couldn’t help but find it odd to be called “tiny” by anyone. Still, he gave his name all the same, “Sado Yasutora.”</p><p>The giant chuckled slightly, “Tiger huh? A fierce name. I’m afraid that if you want to get through the gate, you’ll have to defeat me in combat.” Glancing up, Jidanbō saw Sado’s friends running their way. Unwilling to deal with their interference, the giant slammed his axe into the ground, causing the stone to heave upwards and block off the pair from the rest. “Hey! Don’t you folks know anything? Here in the city we have rules. First, wash your hands when you come in from outside. Second, don’t eat anything that’s been on the floor. Third, all duels are one on one,” Jidanbō scolded them. “Wait your turn. I’ll get to you when I’m done smashing your friend.”</p><p>Turning back towards Sado, the gatekeeper was mildly surprised to see the teen calmly waiting for him, his Brazo Derecha de Gigante already out. Letting out a surprised sound, Jidanbō remarked, “I’m surprised. It seems one of you at least has some manners. Thank you for waiting. Now, shall we begin!” With that, the giant swung his massive axe downwards. The impact kicked up a dust cloud as a loud crash reverberated through the area. When the dust settled, he was surprised to see his opponent still standing, having blocked the strike with his armored fist. “Wha- what!?” Jidanbō reeled back in shock. Nonetheless, he quickly recovered and gave a boastful laugh, “Not bad, tiny man! You’re only the third person to ever survive my initial attack! But, <strong>nobody</strong> <strong>has ever survived the second</strong>!”</p><p>With a heave of effort, Jidanbō brought his axe down with even greater force than before. To the exact same result. Once again, Sado effortlessly blocked his attack. Now Jidanbō started sweating bullets. “What are you?! How could you possibly block my attacks?! I- no. No! I will defeat you with my ultimate technique: the Jidan Ten Strike Festival! Prepare yourself!” Once more, Jidanbō swung his axe, though this time he followed it up with more attacks, counting them off as he did. “One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Six! Nine! Five!” Unfortunately, it seemed the giant had trouble actually counting to ten. After a few more swings, he decided he must have reached ten by now. “And here comes the final blow!” This time, Jidanbō went in for a horizontal slice in a wide arc, even carving into the wall behind him as he went. The attack even cut through the stone barrier he’d created like air.</p><p>However, all of the gatekeeper’s efforts were for naught. For there stood Sado, right arm braced against the axe blade it had just stopped cold. The teen hadn’t even budged from his spot. For the first time since he’d introduced himself, Sado spoke, “Are you done yet?” In response, Jidanbō laughed nervously and declared that he had one more move to make. Pulling out a second axe, he prepared his ultimate ultimate technique. Unfortunately for him, Sado was tired of waiting. “Sorry, but we’re on a bit of a time limit.” Before Jidanbō could even begin his attack, a single mighty blow from Sado’s right arm felled him, knocking the giant to the ground, and leaving him struggling to breathe.</p><p>While the giant laid on the ground, the others stared in surprise, impressed at Sado’s new power. Even Orihime and Tatsuki didn’t know he was so strong. Though they had trained with him, most of their fighting was against Yoruichi, who always seemed twenty steps ahead no matter how strong they became. Once Jidanbō recovered, he slowly stood back up. With a rueful chuckle, he said, “You’re awfully strong for one so small. Still, fair’s fair. You bested me so you and your friends may pass. Just give me a moment.” Turning around, Jidanbō reached underneath the colossal gate he had been guarding. Giving a groan of effort, he slowly lifted the gate upwards until it was over his shoulders.</p><p>As the group moved towards the opened gate, Yoruichi muttered to himself, “I had hoped for a more subtle entrance. But I suppose this will be fine too. Just so long as there aren’t any-“ The cat promptly cut himself off as he both saw and sensed who was on the other side of the gate. “Oh fuck all kinds of duck.”</p><p>“Oh my my, what’s this? A gatekeeper isn’t meant to open the gate he’s guarding.” The speaker was a tall thin man with short silver hair and a wide mocking smile. Most notably, he wore a white haori over his black shihakusho, marking him as a captain.</p><p>Jidanbō trembled in fear at the newcomer. “Ca-captain Ichimaru,” he stammered, “What are you doing here? I lost to these outsiders, so it’s only right that I allow them passage.”</p><p>In response, Ichimaru Gin tutted while shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Now, that’s not true at all. Didn’t anyone ever tell you? A gatekeeper who fails doesn’t open the gate.” There was a sudden, almost imperceptible flash, and Jidanbō’s left arm was instantly severed from his body. “Because a gatekeeper who fails, dies.” The gate fell several feet as Jidanbō struggled to hold it aloft with only one arm while dealing with the agony of being dismembered.</p><p><em>‘Shit. This is bad. Of everyone who could have been on the other side of the gate, it had to be him.’</em> Yoruichi thought darkly. <em>‘I’m the only one here who could take down a captain, but the situation keeps me from doing so quietly. Not to mention having to protect the kids. By the time I defeat him, we’ll have half of Seireitei raining down on us. Right now our only option is to-‘</em> “Fuck me jogging!” Yoruichi’s exclamation came as the result of all three Quincy firing at the Shinigami captain while Ichigo and Tatsuki charged in to tag team him in melee. Ichigo released his shikai while Tatsuki activated her Ryū no Senshi. Gin deflected both arrows but missed the bullet Bambietta fired, causing it to pierce his hip. Despite his injury, the silver-haired Shinigami blocked Eien-ō with his own Zanpakutō while grabbing Tatsuki’s clawed hand by the wrist. Yoruichi shouted after them, “Stop trying to fight him, you idiots! We have to run away!”</p><p>“Oh my, such a scary response.” At this point, Ichigo felt this man’s only tone was blatant mockery. With a surprisingly strong shove, he pushed both of the teenagers backwards, causing them to roughly collide and struggle to stay on their feet. “Well, I’m afraid I don’t have any more time for you. And so,” As he spoke, Gin raised his short Zanpakutō and pointed it directly at Ichigo’s heart, “Shoot to kill, Shinsō!” The now named Shinsō extended forward at tremendous speeds.</p><p>A mere instant before impact a triangular shield burst into being between the pair and the blade. Despite stopping the blade from harming them, the shield couldn’t halt its progress. As a result, they flew backwards from the attack. Soon both teenagers collided with Jidanbō before all three were sent hurtling out of Seireitei in its entirety. As the gate crashed down, the group could see Gin wave at them with that unsettling smile still on his face. Just before the gate closed entirely, he cheerfully called out to them, “Bye-bye now!”</p><p>As Ichigo and Tatsuki clambered back to their feet, everyone present dispersed their powers. Ichigo resealed Eien-ō, Tatsuki’s and Sado’s limbs returned to normal, and the Quincy dispersed their bows (or rifle in Bambietta’s case). The sole exception was Orihime, who quickly set to work using her Sōten Kisshun in an effort to help Jidanbō. Yoruichi headbutted Ichigo in the eye, roaring, “You morons! What were you thinking, charging a damn <strong>captain</strong> like that?! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!”</p><p>As Yoruichi lambasted the group, Sado used his immense strength to move Jidanbō’s severed arm over to the rest of his body, allowing Orihime to properly heal him. At the same time, numerous souls in old-fashioned clothing left the surrounding buildings and started approaching, faces curious. “Who’re all these guys? Were they hiding earlier?” Bambietta questioned.</p><p>Drawn from his lecture, Yoruichi explains, “They’re the inhabitants of this part of the Rukongai. They tend to be wary of strangers due to the trouble Ryoka cause. That they’re appearing now suggests they’re friendly.”</p><p>Indeed, one elderly soul in particular approached and bowed deeply to them. “Thank you for healing Jidanbō! Unlike many Shinigami, he has always been kind to us.” Straightening up, the elder declared, “Any friend of Jidanbō is a friend of ours. Please, come rest for a while and tell us what brings you here.” Most of the group followed the elder towards his home, though Orihime and Tatsuki stayed behind, the former to heal Jidanbō and the latter to keep an eye on her.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>As Ichigo followed the rest of the group, a voice called out to him, “I thought I recognized you, Kurosaki Ichigo.”</p><p>Turning back, Ichigo froze in shock at the one who said his name. “You’re-“ Before him stood a young girl, her black hair in a simple pageboy cut and her violet eyes alight with recognition. Though her expression was far less malevolent than the last time he’d seen it, there was no mistaking the girl before him.</p><p>She nodded in acknowledgement, “Indeed. You knew me as Grand Fisher, though I’ve been going by Kyoka since you purified me.” The now named Kyoka sighed and said, “Once again, I am sorry for what I put you through back when I was… back then. No one becomes a Hollow willingly, but I was especially monstrous as Grand Fisher.”</p><p>Ichigo shook his head in an attempt to clear it. “You’re not responsible for your actions as a Hollow. Inoue’s older brother tried to kill her when he was turned. It’s not your fault.” The situation was too surreal for the Shinigami. Never did he think he’d forgive his mother’s killer, especially after they tried to kill his sisters as well. Then again, he’d already forgiven himself. Why shouldn’t he also forgive someone else who was involved but not truly at fault? Speaking of, “Do you know where my mother is? Is she around here?”</p><p>In response, Kyoka shook her head regretfully. “I’m afraid I don’t know. When you purified me, all the souls I’d consumed traveled to Soul Society and were sent all over. Even if I had been trying to keep track at the time, I ate a <em>lot</em> of souls as a Hollow. It would have been like trying to keep track of a specific bird in a flock.”</p><p>Dejected, but not especially surprised, Ichigo nodded his acceptance and rejoined the others. With thoughts of his mother in mind, Ichigo spotted Uryū and made a snap decision. “Ishida, can we talk? In private?” The bespectacled Quincy looked at him in surprise but nonetheless accepted and the pair retreated to a secluded corner of the room.</p><p>Once they had seated themselves, Uryū was the first to speak, “What’s this about Kurosaki?”</p><p>Ichigo bit back a retort before then said, “Our relationship soured recently and we both know what caused it. But I think we need to talk about the underlying reason behind that.” Scratching at his scalp, he continued, “I’m sure you have your reasons for hating Hollows and for your attitude towards Shinigami. But your powers destroy Hollows along with every soul they’ve consumed. Just now, I spoke to a little girl. Three months ago, she was an infamous Hollow, one who’d killed my mother. If you had been the one to fight her, you’d have destroyed my mother’s soul.” Here, Ichigo’s face set into a look that was just shy of a glare, “That’s why I get so furious at the idea of you running around slaying Hollows. At the very least, we could work together. You protecting souls that I can’t reach or until I can come and purify the Hollows.”</p><p>That last sentence caused Uryū to start in shock. After a long moment, he adjusted his glasses and chuckled ruefully, “You sound so much like my grandfather. He too wished that Quincy and Shinigami could work together to better protect the living.” Now it was Uryū’s turn to glare, “But then he was ambushed by five huge Hollows! He fought bravely but he was overwhelmed! The Shinigami didn’t even arrive until well after he’d died and the Hollows had already left! On that day, I swore that I wouldn’t allow others to fall because the Shinigami couldn’t be bothered to step in!”</p><p>“Well aren’t we a pair,” Ichigo muttered darkly, “Both of us had to watch a family member get killed by Hollows.” Ichigo gave his cousin a knowing look, “And both of us blamed ourselves for it.”</p><p>Uryū tried to sputter a denial, but the disbelieving stare he received eventually caused him to give up. “Yes. I did blame myself. I was hiding nearby; I could have helped. But I was too afraid to fight. And my grandfather paid the price.”</p><p>Heaving a great sigh, Ichigo put both hands on Uryū’s shoulders and told him, “As someone who’s been there. And as someone who got the chance to talk to the one he failed, don’t. don’t blame yourself. Your grandfather loved you and he absolutely wouldn’t blame you for his death, nor would he want you blaming yourself.”</p><p>Uryū held his gaze before looking away. “I’ll try Kurosaki. We’re still not friends. But I can understand where you’re coming from.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>While Ichigo and Uryū were having their heart to heart, Yoruichi turned to the elder and asked, “Do you know where I could find the residence of Shiba Kūkaku? It used to be in the southern districts, but that one has a tendency to move around quite a bit.”</p><p>The elder gazed at him in surprise. “The Shiba? Why would you-? You mean to tell me you’re going to use that thing to enter the Seireitei?!” His exclamation caused the others to look at him in curiosity. Clearly, the old man knew something they didn’t. But when he didn’t elaborate, they returned to their own discussions.</p><p>Off to the side, Bambietta was trying to get Candice’s opinion, “So what do you think? The big guy’s definitely strong but I wonder if he might be <em>too</em> big, if you catch my drift. On the other hand, orange-boy’s got that huge sword, which makes me think he’s overcompensating.”</p><p>Candice rolled her eyes in annoyance. Sure, she enjoyed a good dicking the same as anyone, but Bambietta was a little too casual when it came to talking about it. Rather than choose, she replied, “I’ve known both for approximately an hour. And barely spoken to either.”</p><p>Candice’s blunt reply made Bambietta pout. “C’mon, you gotta have some idea of which one you’d want to feed your kitty. So tell me, who’d you choose to polish your pearl?” Seated nearby, Sado was rather blatantly doing his best to ignore their conversation.</p><p>“Fine!” Candice snapped, “If you must know… Tatsuki.”</p><p>“Really? I, huh,” Came the brunette’s eloquent reply, “I guess I could see it. But I figured you preferred your girls curvier. Remember that one-“</p><p>She was promptly cut off by her verdette friend, “Yes, I remember! Orihime’s got a great body, but it’s not about the boobs. I want some fire. Some passion.” Now that she’d gotten started, Candice was really getting into it, “Man or woman, I want someone who could get punched in the mouth and would spit the blood in their opponent’s eyes then break their nose. …Also Chad’s too tall for my tastes.” That last tidbit got Bambietta cackling loudly enough to draw the attention of the whole room.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Hours later, the group was waiting for Yoruichi to arrive from wherever the cat had wandered off to. Orihime was sleeping, having almost completely drained herself to fully heal Jidanbō. Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Moments later, a figure hurtled into the door, knocking it off its hinges. The figure stood up, revealing itself to be a tall solidly built man who laughed as he brushed himself off. In a boisterous voice, he called, “Sorry about that! Bonnie threw me off again! Crazy boar.” The man had black hair, covered by a red and white bandana. Combined with his blue pants and black vest, he looked rather like a stereotypical biker.</p><p>The elder was less than amused. “Ganju! How dare you break down my door again! And behave yourself in front of our guests!”</p><p>But Ganju merely laughed him off, “Don’t be like that old man! Is that any way to treat an old friend? Besides, it was an accident; you know I can fix it!” However, Ganju’s good cheer evaporated upon spotting Ichigo. “What’s a Shinigami doing here?” Despite the taunt, Ichigo simply ignored the brutish man. Apparently, that didn’t sit well with him. Stomping over towards the Shinigami, Ganju started mockingly patting him on the cheek. “I said, what’s a stinking Shinigami doing here? Huh? Well, Shinigami? You gonna say something?” By this point, Ganju had grabbed Ichigo’s jaw and cheeks in one meaty hand, “I asked you a question, punk! What’re you doing here?”</p><p>In way of reply, Ichigo punched him in the face hard enough to send the delinquent flying back out the door. Storming outside, he shouted, “I was resting after spending all day fucking your sister!”</p><p>Proving to be tougher than he looked, Ganju quickly sprung back to his feet, outraged. “Nobody talks like that about big sis! Hope you’ve got your affairs in order, because you just signed your death warrant!” Faster than expected, he shot forward and launched a fierce haymaker at Ichigo’s head. Ganju’s friends, all riding on boars, loudly cheered him on. But Ichigo had years of experience fighting delinquents and street toughs. He ducked under the attack and sent a quick jab to his opponent’s kidney. Unfortunately, while Ganju was staggered, he wasn’t done. With a gesture from his foot, he cried, “Seppa!” The ground beneath Ichigo’s foot turned to loose sand, causing him to sink in up to his ankle and lose his balance. While Ichigo was unbalanced, his opponent landed a strong punch to his back and another to the back of his skull.</p><p>Rather than fight to stay upright, Ichigo followed the momentum of the attacks and tumbled forward. Putting his hands beneath him, he pried his leg free and promptly kicked Ganju in the chin before completing his tumble and getting back to his feet. “Tough bastard,” Ganju spat, “Guess I’ll have to get serious.” With that, he pulled a short sword shaped like a meat cleaver from its sheath on his back.</p><p>However, before he could attack, a loud alarm went off. The thug quickly turned towards his men, and sure enough, the giant clock one wore on his back read 9pm. “Oh shit, is it that time already?! Sis is gonna kill me!” Ganju quickly ran towards a riderless boar, presumably his own, and jumped on. As the group rode off, he yelled back, “I’ll be back to finish this fight tomorrow, Shinigami! Don’t you puss out on me!”</p><p>All of Ichigo’s friends watched in bemusement at what they’d just witnessed. It seemed Soul Society was even weirder than they had thought.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>The next morning, as everyone was waking up, Yoruichi finally returned and with good news. “I have a way for us to get inside the Seireitei, but we’ll need the help of an old friend of mine. Fortunately, Kūkaku owes me a favor so it shouldn’t be a problem.” With that, the cat walked back out the door, calling over his shoulder, “Come along. It’s an hour or so walk from here.”</p><p>They obediently followed along, though Bambietta grumbled about not getting her morning coffee. Out of curiosity, Candice asked Ichigo, “What about that Ganju guy? Aren’t you going to wait to fight him again?”</p><p>Ichigo snorted and replied, “Fuck him. If I wanted to get into a pissing match with some thug, I’d have stayed home. We’re here on a mission.” Up ahead, Yoruichi was silently glad Ichigo hadn’t acted like a typical hot-headed teen and let his ego get in the way of his reasoning. At least, not this time.</p><p>As they walked, Orihime asked, “Yoruichi-san, what’s this Kūkaku person like?” The rest all perked up, rather curious themselves.</p><p>Yoruichi chuckled a bit, “Kūkaku is a bit eccentric really. Despite their station, they prefer to live away from everyone, on top of frequently moving around. But you can always recognize their home when you see it. In fact, I believe I see it now.” Up in the distance was a modest home with a large spire behind it. But what really drew the eye was a giant pair of stone arms holding up a banner proclaiming “Shiba Kūkaku!” The humans all goggled at the ludicrous display. For his part, Yoruichi cheerfully stated, “I told you, you can always recognize Kūkaku’s home at a glance!”</p><p>When they approached however, two towering men barred their way, both larger than even Sado by a significant margin. The pair were nearly identical aside from one wearing a yellow top and the other wearing white. “Intruders!” They even spoke in unison, “Who are you to trespass on the property of the Shiba clan?” Before they could say more, Yoruichi approached. The duo instantly recognized him and bowed, “Yoruichi-dono! Our apologies! We did not know you’d be stopping by, or that you’d be bringing your entourage!”</p><p>Yoruichi waved them off, “It’s fine, Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko. Is Kūkaku available? I’m afraid this isn’t a social visit.”</p><p>Bowing once more, the guards said, “Yes, Yoruichi-dono! Kūkaku-dono is currently in the lounge!” The teens were starting to think the duo were incapable of talking at a reasonable volume. “Please, right this way!”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Led inside, the group descended a long set of stairs, traveling far deeper underground than one would expect for such a small looking home. Finally, they were brought to a set of old-fashioned shoji doors. One of the guards lightly knocked on the frame and called, “Kūkaku-dono! Yoruichi-dono and guests have arrived!”</p><p>A brash voice came from within, “Let them in then! I haven’t seen Yoruichi in ages!” The guards opened the door and allowed them inside. On the far end of the room, lounging on a plush cushion sat a young woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties. Her long messy black hair was partially covered by bandages. She wore a white skirt and a provocative red robe exposing her expansive bust. A short sword was strapped horizontally across her back. Lastly, her left hand contained a long pipe while her right arm ended a few inches above the elbow. With a cocky smirk, she asked, “Ah, Yoruichi, it’s good to see you! Have you come for a drink?”</p><p>Yoruichi answered, “I’m afraid not Kūkaku. I’m here to call in that favor you owe me.”</p><p>The woman’s lackadaisical cheer vanished at those words and her face grew serious. “Really? Must be serious if you’re finally cashing that in.” In the background, Ichigo’s group was shocked that this woman was the Kūkaku they were meeting. Half of them rather expected her to be a cat like Yoruichi. “Well, if you’re serious about it, I have no choice. What do you need?”</p><p>“Thank you,” Yoruichi said sincerely. “We need your help to infiltrate Seireitei. Can you do it?”</p><p>Taking a long drag from her pipe, Kūkaku held it for a few seconds before breathing out the smoke. “Mah mah, you sure don’t ask for simple things do you, Yoruichi?” After a moment, her cocky grin returned, “Of course I can! <em>But</em> I trust you; I don’t trust your friends. So I’m gonna insist on sending one of mine with you, my little brother, Ganju.”</p><p>She reached up and pulled a cord nearby. A side door slid open to reveal the delinquent from the night before, albeit dressed in higher quality clothing than before. In a tone of false manners, he bowed lowly and spoke, “My name is Shiba Ganju, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Then his eyes met Ichigo and his false manners turned to anger. “The hell are you doing here, you stinking Shinigami?! You that eager to die for what you said about my sis?” Ganju quickly rose to his feet and charged at Ichigo. In response, Ichigo drew Eien-ō from his hip.</p><p>But before their fight could truly start, both were laid out by Kūkaku who kicked her brother into a wall while punching Ichigo to the ground, both leaving craters where they struck. Everyone else, barring Yoruichi, was in awe of her speed and power. They couldn’t even see her move! “Oi! You wanna fight, you fight outside! Don’t go starting shit in my house!” Pointing at Ganju, she shouted, “You know better than that Ganju!” Pressing her foot into the back of Ichigo’s head, the one-armed woman addressed him next, “And you! What kind of guest starts a fight with his host?! Didn’t your mama teach you any goddamn manners?!” After a moment, her little brother’s words registered. “And what the hell did you say about me?!”</p><p>By now, Bambietta was more amused than shocked or frightened and laughingly informed the spitfire, “Your oaf of a brother was picking a fight last night, so Ichigo told him he was tired from spending all day filling your holes.”</p><p>Kūkaku frowned and kicked Ichigo over onto his back. Looking him over for a moment, she scoffed, “Tch. I might give him a ride if I’d had a few in me. But the only way this cherry boy is spending all day filling anyone’s holes is as a carpenter.” That was the last straw for all four human girls. While Orihime fainted with an incandescent blush, Tatsuki, Bambietta, and Candice nearly fell over as they cackled in delight.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>At the same time, groups and individuals around the Seireitei were pondering recent events. Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane headed towards the Senzaikyū, carrying its prisoner’s daily rations. Ordinarily, such a duty would be beneath her station and be assigned to one of the lower seated officers, if not an unranked Shinigami. But Isane felt a sort of kinship with Nemu; both of them were quiet and often overlooked, especially compared to their more famous captains. Or even simply compared to the other members of the Shinigami Women’s Association. Soul King knew that most paid more attention to the outgoing and flirty Rangiku, the refined and elegant Unohana, or even the strict and fierce Soifon. Isane and Nemu? They tended to fade into the background together. So, Isane might have abused her position a little to assign herself as Nemu’s liaison until her execution.</p><p>Once the guards allowed her passage, Isane entered the tower itself. She wondered what she’d run into this time. Sometimes she’d find her fellow lieutenant gazing out the window or writing complex formulas on the walls and floor or really anything to occupy her time. “Kurotsuchi-san, I’m here with your- oh my god!”</p><p>Spotting Nemu, Isane immediately turned and looked the other way. Apparently Nemu had taken up the pastime of prisoners everywhere: exercising. The violette was currently performing handstand pushups with only one hand, the other folded behind her back. Given her position, the simple white robe she wore had ridden all the way up and was now doing more to conceal her face than her legs. Isane had been part of 4<sup>th</sup> Division for over eighty years and a lieutenant for forty-six. She’d seen all kinds of people in all states of undress. But that was almost always in a medical setting, where she was more focused on healing them than their exposed skin. Not to mention, she’d always been rather shy about her body, her height in particular; as such Isane rarely joined the rest of the SWA on trips to the hot springs or indulged in what Rangiku called “skinship”. Seeing so much of another woman on display so casually was quite a shocker for her. Risking a glance back, Isane saw that Nemu had apparently decided to increase the difficulty of her training by performing splits while she did pushups. Whipping her head back, Isane awkwardly cleared her throat, “I uh, I brought you your food Kurotsuchi-san.”</p><p>The violette finally took notice of her company, “Oh. My apologies Kotetsu-san, I must have been overly focused on my repetitions.” Showing off remarkable flexibility, she bent her legs backwards until her feet once more touched the floor, nearly folding herself in half, then swung the rest of her body back up into a standing position.</p><p>Fighting down her blush, Isane handed over Nemu’s daily rations. Admittedly, said rations were about what one would expect for a prisoner: bland nutrition bars and a jug of water. As Nemu put the “food” near the thin futon allotted her, Isane spoke up again, “I do have some interesting news for you.” Nemu made an inquiring noise as she consumed one of the bars. “Some Ryoka tried to infiltrate Seireitei earlier. One of them was an orange haired Shinigami with an unusually large Zanpakutō.”</p><p>In an instant, Nemu stood directly in front of her, her eyes more intense than Isane had ever seen. In a voice that was far too calm to be anything but forced, she asked, “Did they get his name?”</p><p>The argent-haired lieutenant shakily nodded, finding herself unnerved by her colleague’s reaction, “Captain Ichimaru said one of the Ryoka called him ‘Ichigo’.”</p><p>To her surprise, Nemu immediately slumped, seemingly drained of energy. The violette stumbled off to the wall and sat down heavily against it, muttering to herself. When Isane hesitantly moved closer to make out what the other woman was saying, she heard, “You fool. You marvelous, wonderful fool. You’re going to get yourself killed, and for what? For me? I told you, I’m artificial. Replaceable.”</p><p>The admission tugged at Isane’s heartstrings. Despite their kinship, Isane knew she and Nemu weren’t particularly close. But hearing Nemu disregard herself so hurt. Sitting down next to her, Isane put an arm around her fellow lieutenant’s shoulder, “Hey now, none of that. Even if you are artificial, it doesn’t mean you’re replaceable. You’re the only you there is.” Looking up, Nemu offered the taller Shinigami a soft, but ultimately weak, smile.</p><p>Before anything else could be said, a loud voice called from outside, “What’s taking so long in there, Lieutenant Kotetsu?”</p><p>With a start, Isane called back, “Just a moment, I’ll be right out!” Giving Nemu’s shoulder one last comforting squeeze, Isane stood up and collected the remains of yesterday’s rations. Just before she left, Isane looked back and quietly reassured her, “You’re not alone, Nemu.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Elsewhere, a group of Shinigami were drinking in one of the local bars. One of them was a tall woman with wavy orange hair, a bust that dwarfed even Orihime’s and Kūkaku’s, and a uniform that showed it off. She was Matsumoto Rangiku, current lieutenant of 10<sup>th</sup> Division and the third longest serving lieutenant currently in the Gotei 13. And right now, she was loudly and drunkenly speaking to the rest of her group, “I’m just shaying it’s ridic- ridicu- redick, bullshit! The Sōkyoku ish meant for killin’ captains and traitors. Not a lieute- loot- lieu, girl who stayed out too long!”</p><p>A Shinigami with spikey purple hair and a sleeveless shihakusho groaned, “We get it Rangiku. You’ve said the same thing three times.” He was Hisagi Shūhei, lieutenant of 9<sup>th</sup> Division. Also at their booth, three more Shinigami made various sounds of agreement. One was a blonde man who looked constantly depressed and another was a petite woman with her black hair tied up in a cloth covered bun. The duo were Kira Izuru and Hinamori Momo, lieutenants of 3<sup>rd</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> divisions respectively. Rounding out the group was Renji.</p><p>Rangiku didn’t take their complaints well, energetically waving her arms as she shouted, “I know, I know! But aren’t you guysh curious? Or worried? I’ve been lieutenant longer than all of yous combined, and I’ve never seen the Sōkyoku used! Now they’re usin’ it someone who hasn’t even earned a couple centuries in the Maggot’s Nest?! It’s BULLSHIT!” With that final declaration, Rangiku slammed her fist on the table with enough force to knock over the sake bottles closest to her. In a flash, her outrage turned to despair as she cried, “No! My sake!!”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>In his office, Aizen Sōsuke pondered his plans. While the Kurotsuchi girl’s execution was on schedule and the Ryoka had arrived as he’d foreseen, there were still more variables than he’d liked. If Nemu had some friends of reasonable power, he’d be able to manipulate them into protesting the execution, preferably with violence. Doing so would remove a few more of the major players from the board. If things went well, he could probably count on Kurosaki and his allies eliminating maybe one or two captains along with perhaps half of the lieutenants. Perhaps he could use Kyōka Suigetsu to remove a captain himself? If so, he’d have to be extremely careful; it wouldn’t do to give the game away too early by making the other captains overly suspicious. <em>‘Hm, best table that option for later.’</em> Aizen found himself sighing. <em>‘Perhaps the Kuchiki girl would’ve been the better option after all? I’d have had an easy way to turn Renji, Kyōraku, and Ukitake against Yamamoto.’</em> “Oh well, no point dwelling on could-have-beens,” The traitorous captain muttered to himself.</p><p>Now that he thought about it, Kyōraku had apparently bonded slightly with that Kurosaki boy. Perhaps that could be exploited. And Ukitake would certainly follow along if Kyōraku opposed the execution. Those two would tie up Yamamoto, eliminating three of the biggest threats to his plans. And if Shihōin could be drawn out into the open, Soifon would ignore everything else to confront her. Yes, perhaps things weren’t so dire after all.</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>The Ryoka were currently practicing with Kūkaku’s spirit cores, the orbs that would allow them to survive being fired from her Flower Crane Cannon into the barrier around the Seireitei. Except for Orihime, who got it perfect on her first try, all of them had some defect in the barriers they created. Ichigo’s barrier was often too powerful while Bambietta’s was remarkably unstable and Tatsuki’s kept fluctuating in shape. Regardless, all were approaching acceptable aptitude actualizing a proper barrier with the basketball sized orbs.</p><p>And while they were doing that, Kūkaku was speaking privately with Yoruichi in her chambers. It was hardly the first time Yoruichi had spent time in her bedroom, but this was likely to be less enjoyable than those occasions. Sitting on one of her overstuffed cushions, the fireworks expert addressed her old friend, “First, lose the disguise. This is too serious for me to be willing to talk to a cat.”</p><p>“Very well,” The feline replied. A burst of smoke filled the room, which Kūkaku quickly shoved away with her Reiatsu. Where once was a small black cat stood a curvaceous nude woman with chocolate skin and long purple hair. “Ah, I haven’t been in this form in decades.” Even her voice was drastically different, turning smooth and teasing from her previous rough old man voice. “Feels weird not having any fur.” Settling herself on another cushion, Yoruichi casually sprawled out, unheeding of her undress. “So, what’s on your mind?”</p><p>Kūkaku lit her pipe and took a few puffs before answering. “Ganju might be too young to remember Kaien clearly, but I remember his face clear as day. So let me ask you,” Here, her voice grew deadly serious, “Who the fuck is that Ichigo kid and why does he look like my brother’s clone?”</p><p>Yoruichi sighed in response, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised by her friend’s inquiry, even if it was rather inconvenient. <em>‘Suppose it was too much to hope for that she either wouldn’t notice or would chalk it up to coincidence.’</em> Before her fellow noble could become too impatient, Yoruichi replied, “He’s not your brother or your nephew. He’s your cousin.”</p><p>With a snort of disbelief, Kūkaku demanded, “The hell are you talking about? None of my family’s had a kid since Ganju! It’s not like some long-lost family member is gonna- …fuck. He’s Isshin’s, isn’t he?” When Yoruichi nodded, Kūkaku slapped her hand over her face. “Ffffuuuuuck. Nobody’s heard from him in over twenty years and his damn brat just shows up out of the blue.”</p><p>“In his defense, it wasn’t entirely of his choosing. Isshin temporarily lost his powers all those years ago and is only now starting to regain them.” At Kūkaku’s look, Yoruichi elaborated, “He allowed his powers to be bound to protect another soul, one whom he eventually had a family with. At his current rate of growth, Isshin should be back to full strength in a year, maybe less. Though you could always see him sooner by visiting yourself once this whole ordeal is over.”</p><p>The ebony haired woman took another drag from her pipe to buy herself time to collect her thoughts. She’d never been particularly close to Isshin. In fact, she didn’t think they’d seen each other since Kaien’s funeral nearly thirty years ago. When Isshin had disappeared, she’d been saddened, but only in the general “losing a family member” sense. Still, to hear he was not only alive, but had a family was good news. Excellent news even. “I’ll think about it. One more thing though. Does the kid know?”</p><p>“Not to our knowledge. Isshin seems to be waiting for something to tell him.”</p><p>“Eh. I’ll leave it to him then. Not my business one way or another at the moment. But the kid <em>is</em> family. If Isshin dawdles too long, I’ll handle it myself as head of the Shiba clan.” Knowing a dismissal when she heard it, Yoruichi once more resumed her feline form and exited the room. Left to her own thoughts, Kūkaku muttered, “What a fucked-up situation this is. What would you do, big brother Kaien?”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>The next morning, everyone was gathered at the base of the Flower Crane Cannon, awaiting their final instructions from Kūkaku. The boisterous woman stepped forward, carrying a spirit core far larger than the ones they’d been practicing with. It was nearly the size of a beach ball! When she dropped it to the floor, the resulting boom echoed throughout the area. Kūkaku put one foot up on the orb to keep it in place and said, “This here is my largest spirit core. Normally we use those smaller ones you were practicing with, but I doubt all nine of you could touch it at the same time. While you’re in the cannon, you all need to channel your Reiryoku into this core to form the barrier. Make sure you all channel the same amount or the barrier will destabilize and explode. Do it right, and you’ll pierce right through the barrier formed by the Sekkiseki around the Seireitei. Do it wrong, and someone will be sweeping up your remains.” Unsurprisingly, her speech was hardly encouraging. Shrugging it off, she continued, “Just focus on keeping your output even with each other. Me and Ganju will be handling the technical parts. Now get on in there.”</p><p>With that, Kūkaku kicked the spirit core towards them. Sado caught it and carried it with him as the group entered the cannon. As they formed a circle around the large orb Sado held out, Bambietta cheekily asked, “Everyone ready to get blown?” Her joke was met by a combination of sputtering blushes and tired groans.</p><p>The entry to the cannon resealed itself and a sound came from outside. Ganju declared, “It’s starting! Everyone, put a hand on the spirit core and channel your Reiryoku into it!”  Everyone reached out and touched the orb with a hand, besides Yoruichi who stood on top of it, and a large blue barrier encompassed all nine of them.</p><p>Outside the cannon, Kūkaku stabbed her sword into the ground at the base of the cannon. Channeling her Reiryoku, she began chanting, “Far away! Copper-colored greed desires the domination of 36 degrees! Seventy-two pairs of illusions! Thirteen pairs of horns! The right hand of the monkey grabs the star! Embraced by the 25 wheels of the sun, the cradle of sand bleeds!” As her chant finished, she removed the bandages about her head and punched the ground, firing a burst of Reiryoku from her fist. Thus, the cannon fired, launching the nine far into the sky. “Good luck, to all of you.”</p><p>-]|[-</p><p>Within the cannonball, Yoruichi gave a few last second instructions, “Remember all of you, stick together once we get inside. Do not engage any captains, no matter what! And finally, don’t take any unnecessary risks. Our mission is to rescue Kurotsuchi Nemu, not pillage and burn like a bunch of barbarians!” Everyone nodded, even Bambietta who muttered about wanting to pillage and burn just a little.</p><p>From within his robes, Ganju withdrew a large, folded scroll and told the others, “Everyone, focus on the cannonball. I have to recite the second incantation to complete the ritual! And don’t distract me!” With that, he turned all his attention towards his writing. While everyone was focused on keeping their outputs even (with only a few corrections to be made), Ichigo found himself looking at Candice across from him. When she noticed him staring, she winked and stuck out her tongue, a metal stud gleaming in it. In the background, Ganju’s voice recited, “The fate of the three sparrows, the fate of the four dragons, enclosed on five sides, unable to return six ri! Winds of heaven, orangutan, spoon, cane of elm... a thousand ashes and a thousand wisdoms, the plan of the white clouds... close to the moon, not stepping on the shadow of scarlet... scarlet…” Suddenly, his voice trailed off. After a moment, he muttered, “Shit, I smudged the next line. What does that say?”</p><p>The result was instantaneous as everyone looked at the man and shouted, “<em>WHAT?!</em>”</p><p>They had no time to lambast him though, for Uryū noticed another problem, “Guys! The barrier’s coming up!”</p><p>Ganju tossed aside his scroll and stated, “Nothing for it! If we can’t use the Kidō to make a smooth entry, we’ll have to brute force it. Everyone! Pump as much Reiryoku into the spirit core as you can!” With no other option but to trust his advice, everyone promptly cranked up their output as high as they could. Not a moment too soon either, as they impacted the barrier around the Seireitei. While they weren’t instantly vaporized, neither did they immediately break through. It was the classic case of unmovable object versus unstoppable force. “C’mon, more power!” Everyone forced themselves to find more Reiryoku to pump into the core, further strengthening it. Finally, they broke through. But their own barrier, destabilized from the uneven power being channeled into it, promptly violently broke apart. Down below, the assembled Shinigami watched as the invading Ryoka were hurtled in six different directions all across Seireitei.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: And that’s a wrap. Yes, we are introducing Candice Catnipp and Bambietta Basterbine early. They were foreshadowed in both the last chapter and in chapter four. However, don’t think this means Yhwach and the Sternritter are going to be kicking down Soul Society’s door any time soon. Or ever. As those who read “Extra Vows” know, Yhwach is super dead and never coming back. In fact, the only reason I had him reincarnate rather than let Yamamoto incinerate his very soul was so people wouldn’t declare “They didn’t find his body! He’s probably still alive!”<br/>Unlike canon, everyone got something to do at the start. I like Ichigo (usually, fuck that idiocy at the end of his final fight with Ulquiorra) but the MC shouldn’t be doing everything. Also Sado basically never got to show off after his fight with Shrieker in canon. Either he fought mooks or he got curb stomped to show how badass someone is. Dude even lost against Di Roy, someone Rukia killed with a single attack. And I mean, it’s Rukia. I’m not sure what’s impaled her more: Enemies or Ichigo’s cock.<br/>Also, just because someone gets some more screentime, doesn’t mean they’re going to be a major character in the story. Nor does showing attraction towards someone mean the two are gonna fuck. Let’s be real, if everyone fucked everyone they were attracted to, human’s population would be more like thirty billion right now, probably more.<br/>Lastly, while I have no intention of leaving any cliffhangers (yet), I’ll be moving between the groups as we go. I’m not entirely sure what system I’ll use, but each fight will be completed before we move on to the next one. Not gonna do something like cut off Tatsuki vs Komamura to switch to Orihime fighting Omaeda.<br/>Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for.<br/>Next time on “Vow of the King”! Orihime watches her girlfriend take a huge pole deep inside her while Ichigo is blueballed by a midget.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. We’ll Meet and I Will Beat You (Our Schedules Permitting)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“Speech”<br/>‘Thoughts’<br/>“Zanpakutō”<br/>“Hollows/Vizard”<br/>“{Speaking a different language}”</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-]|[-</p>
<p>“Sure, there’s whatever just crashed through the barrier, but that's the most interesting thing that’s happened all month. When are we going to get a real fight again?” One Shinigami was complaining to his partner. Tall and bald, Madarame Ikkaku ironically stood out among higher ranked Shinigami because he wore a completely standard uniform (minus his lack of socks). All that truly stood out about his appearance, besides his lack of hair, were small red markings at the outer corners of his eyes. The man in question casually laid atop one of the many walls in Seireitei, his relaxed demeanor belying a strength and skill that equaled most lieutenants, and surpassed some.</p>
<p>His companion was in many ways his polar opposite visually. His uniform was customized with a large orange cloth that covered his neck and much of his upper chest. He had colorful feathers decorating his right eyelashes and eyebrow. Unlike his comrade, he had a full head of blatantly well cared for black hair and shiny skin. In contrast to Ikkaku’s moderately thuggish look, Ayasegawa Yumichika was a total pretty boy. Yumichika sat atop the same wall as his oldest friend and shrugged in response. “All excursions to Hueco Mundo are on hold until after the execution. It’s not like a fight is going to just drop out of the sky.”</p>
<p>Proving that fate had a sense of humor, immediately after he said that a pair of young women fell out of the sky, their descent stopped by a large orange shield appearing beneath them just before impact. While neither man knew who they were, the duo were definitely intruders given their clothing. Ikkaku sat up abruptly and called out, “It’s not like a barrel of high-quality sake is going to just drop out of the sky!” As he stared into the sky hopefully, the two women got to their feet. One had short black hair and was wearing white clothing while the other had long orange hair and had the largest bust either Shinigami had ever seen, excluding Rangiku of course.</p>
<p>When his barrel of sake failed to materialize, Ikkaku shrugged, “Can’t have everything I suppose. Still!” He hopped to his feet, “At least I’m getting a fight!” Gazing down at the two women who were now eyeing him and Yumichika warily, Ikkaku asked, “So what’re your names strangers?”</p>
<p>Moving to stand defensively in front of Orihime, Tatsuki replied, “Arisawa Tatsuki. What’s it to you?” Even as she spoke, the tomboy activated her Ryū no Senshi. Though the violet scales spread across her arms and legs, she carefully kept them from spreading to her hands and feet, not wanting to give away what she was doing. Similarly, Tatsuki kept her power out of her head so her horns wouldn’t sprout.</p>
<p>Ikkaku smiled in response, “It’s only right to know the name of your killer. Name’s Madarame Ikkaku, 3<sup>rd</sup> Seat of 11<sup>th</sup> Division. Nice to meet you!” His final sentence was shouted as the bald Shinigami jumped down from his perch. Unsheathing his Zanpakutō, he swung it down at Tatsuki with his left hand even as he landed. Though Orihime jumped backwards, her karate lessons with Tatsuki kicking in, her girlfriend stood her ground. Catching her opponent’s attack on her armored forearms, she completed her transformation. Tatsuki’s hands and feet enlarged slightly even as powerful claws and talons sprung from them, incidentally shredding her shoes. As amber bled into her brown eyes, two pairs of horns grew from her forehead, one longer set growing above the other. With a heave, she forced Ikkaku’s Zanpakutō upwards and quickly shifted her weight to kick at his midsection with a taloned foot. Blocking with his sheathe, the man’s smile never left his face. “That’s an interesting power you’ve got there. Let’s have a good time, shall we?”</p>
<p>Off to the side, Orihime’s hands went to her hairpins as she prepared to use her Shun Shun Rikka. Before she could, a hand clapped down onto her shoulder. With a start, she turned and saw the other Shinigami standing right next to her. “None of that now. A fight like this is meant to be one on one. If you get involved, I’ll have to get involved as well.” Looking closely at her, he added, “And I <em>really</em> don’t want to fight such a beautiful creature.”</p>
<p>Orihime squeaked and jumped back slightly. “I’m taken,” She stammered. </p>
<p>“And I’m not interested,” Was the reply. “Now, why don’t we let them enjoy their fight? We can decide what to do afterwards.” So saying, he turned his attention back to the dueling pair. Though weaker than his companion, Orihime could sense both were considerably stronger than her. Meaning that if she joined the fight, she’d need Tatsuki to protect her from both. Realizing she had no reasonable alternative, Orihime instead shuffled a little further away from the flamboyant Shinigami and resolved to watch from the sidelines. Still, if she felt Tatsuki needed her, she’d jump in regardless of what that man thought.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>In other parts of the Seireitei, the rest of the Ryoka had to figure out their own landing strategies. Yoruichi merely reinforced her limbs with Reiryoku and instantly vanished in a burst of Shunpo, leaving behind a confused patrol of unseated Shinigami. Some distance away, Uryū utilized Hirenkyaku to slow his fall as he landed in a seemingly deserted area. In contrast, Sado and Ganju used the latter’s Seppa to cushion their fall but landed among a group of unseated Shinigami. Said Shinigami quickly fell to their unyielding fists. Bambietta and Candice used Hirenkyaku much like Uryū, though they had to snipe some Shinigami near their landing zone before they could touch down. As they landed, Bambietta shouldered her rifle and smirked at her comrade, “I shot more than you.”</p>
<p>Dismissing her bow, Candice retorted, “And half of those shots didn’t do fuck all. One shot, one kill.” While it was true that Bambietta had always managed to put more shots downrange than she could, it was equally true that the brunette was more liable to follow “spray and pray” rather than properly aiming. Even when using their Schrifts, Candice preferred to snipe an enemy with a perfect headshot, unlike her friend’s “tried and true” saturation bombing.</p>
<p>“Hey, a man that’s getting shot at is a man who isn’t returning fire,” Bambietta scoffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a bit of movement. One of the Shinigami wasn’t incapacitated yet and was reaching for his Zanpakutō. Casually, she shot him through the hand, stating, “None of that now. Just lay there like a good boy. Once we’re gone, then you can do whatever you want.”</p>
<p>And so the duo departed, still debating the merits of accuracy versus rate of fire.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>As Ichigo fell through the air, he found himself wishing he had some kind of wind based Zanpakutō or at least one that allowed him to fly. A pulse of outrage from within caused him to pat Eien-ō lovingly, <em>‘Just kidding, girl. I wouldn’t trade you for the world.’</em> Eien-ō gave off a thrum of satisfaction at that. Of course, mollifying his sword didn’t change the fact he had just reached terminal velocity. Casting his gaze around, Ichigo noticed he was going to land close to the divide between two levels. Seeing the massive wall gave him an idea that was either brilliant or insane, depending on whether it worked. Pointing towards a section of the wall some ways away, Ichigo declared, “Bakudō #4, Hainawa!”</p>
<p>A golden rope flew from his hand and latched on to one of the wall’s outcroppings. Pulling it taut, Ichigo felt his vertical velocity transition into horizontal as he swung in an arc. Just as his swing reached its apex, he released his Bakudō, allowing him to land on the top of the wall. After patting himself down, Ichigo couldn’t help but laugh, “Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked! Eat your heart out, Spider-man!”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, his celebration was cut short when a female voice called out, “Who are you?! What division are you with?!” Freezing in surprise, Ichigo slowly turned around towards the source of said voice. Before him stood a short young woman with shoulder length black hair, a strand of which hung between her purple eyes. Said eyes were currently narrowed in suspicion as her hand rested on her Zanpakutō. At least, until they widened in shock, “L-l-lieutenant Kaien?”</p>
<p>Since he didn’t recognize her from the briefing, Ichigo figured she probably wasn’t anyone worth worrying about. Still, no point in getting into a fight yet if he could avoid it. He was tempted to go with her bit of mistaken identity but doubted he’d be able to keep up the charade. Whoever this Kaien was, she was clearly close to him and would recognize any slips. Attempting to adopt a more casual stance, Ichigo answered, “Sorry, you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m the 8<sup>th</sup> Seat of 13<sup>th</sup> Division, name’s-“</p>
<p>But before he could finish his fake introduction, the Shinigami woman cut him off, “Fool! Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own superior?!” Inwardly, Ichigo cursed, <em>‘Thirteen options and I happen to choose the division she’s in. Fuck me.’</em> “As you are clearly an intruder, I, Kuchiki Rukia, 11<sup>th</sup> Seat of 13<sup>th</sup> Division am placing you under arrest!” Rukia drew her sword and took up a ready stance, “Surrender peacefully and your life will be spared.”</p>
<p>Ichigo sighed in irritation; not even two minutes into the infiltration and he’s already fighting. Drawing Eien-ō, he counter-offered, “Look, I’m not really here to waste time fighting unnecessary battles. How about you get out of my way and I don’t tan your hide?” While Ichigo had so far met a grand total of five Shinigami, this Rukia girl didn’t seem particularly impressive. She felt stronger than that Jidanbō guy Sado fought but going by Nemu’s comments about lieutenants (and captains) having eighty percent of their power sealed in the Living World, this midget wasn’t even half as strong as a lieutenant.</p>
<p>Said midget sputtered in shock, “T-tan my hide?! What kind of uncouth lout are you?”</p>
<p>Her answer came in the form of a horizontal slash aimed at her head. Though she quickly blocked, the sheer difference in their physical strength caused her to be bowled over. Ichigo attempted to stomp on her downed form, only for a silently cast Byakurai to slam into his face and send him reeling. While Rukia quickly got back to her feet, a blind slash from her opponent left a nasty slice across her thigh. Ichigo’s eyesight returned just in time to dodge a second Byakurai, blood streaming from his nose. “Damnit! If that’s the way you want it, Bakudō #62, Hyapporankan!” Throwing the glowing blue rod in his hand and letting it multiply into dozens more, Ichigo rushed after his attack, seeking to end the fight the moment his enemy was pinned.</p>
<p>Rukia found herself having trouble standing on her injured leg, let alone dodging such a wide area attack. In desperation she put her hands together and made a pushing motion as she shouted, “Hadō #73, Sōren Sōkatsui!” From her palms came two blasts of blue Reiryoku one after the other. The first one broke apart the rods aiming for her while the second slammed right into the Ryoka. Panting slightly from casting such a high level Kidō without incantation, Rukia said, “Ha, clearly I’ll have to take you seriously, Ryoka. So be it.” Holding her Zanpakutō before her, she spun it in a circle and intoned, “Dance, Sode no Shirayuki.” As the katana spun, the entire sword turned white as snow and a long white ribbon grew from the pommel.</p>
<p>Tearing away the torn and burnt remains of his upper robe, Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō above his head and declared, “Reclaim your throne, Eien-ō!” Once his shikai was released, Ichigo took up a ready stance once more. His bloody visage glowered at the diminutive Shinigami, “Round two then.”</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>Tatsuki and her bald opponent clashed once more. As they fought, she noticed a pattern in Ikkaku’s fighting style: he defended with the sheath in his right hand and attacked with the sword in his left. When he leapt towards her for another attack from his left, she got ready to dodge and counterattack. But as the tomboy ducked under his slash, she realized Ikkaku had just swung his sheath at her. Her mistake cost her as a downward slash carved into her face, just barely missing her left eye. “Fuck!” Tatsuki cursed aloud, swiping blindly as she reflexively closed her eyes.</p>
<p>Ikkaku hopped backwards a short distance while she rubbed the blood from her eye. “C’mon. Surely you can do better? We’ve barely even started having fun.”</p>
<p>Baring her fanged teeth, Tatsuki snarled, “Fun? I’ll show you fun!” Focusing her power towards her limbs, bits of golden electricity started arcing between her fingers as well as her toes. Tatsuki lunged forward, crossing the distance between them in an instant. Ikkaku’s eyes widened in surprise, but he nonetheless brought his sheath up to block. Tatsuki’s claws sliced right through his sheath without pausing before leaving five vertical lacerations from the Shinigami’s left shoulder almost to his hip. Rather than immediately retreat, Ikkaku punched her in the cheek.</p>
<p>Laughing as both recovered, the Third Seat loudly declared, “That’s more like it! Come at me with your full power so I can extend the same courtesy!” He slammed his Zanpakutō’s pommel into its ruined sheathe and cried, “Grow, Hōzukimaru!” A brief whirlwind engulfed the man’s weapon, only to disperse and reveal that his katana had transformed into a naginata with a crimson horsehair tassel.</p>
<p>Off to the side, Yumichika commented, “Your friend is doing exceptionally well.” His remark caused Orihime to turn towards him in surprise, not expecting him to compliment Tatsuki. “Ikkaku is the third strongest fighter in the division with the heaviest combat focus. Even if she loses, she should be proud of making him use shikai.”</p>
<p>Orihime frowned at that. <em>‘Tatsuki-chan won’t lose!’</em></p>
<p>Dodging her opponent’s probing thrusts, Tatsuki remarked, “You’ve got better reach, but you’d have been better off sticking with your katana. I never cared for em, but my dojo saw plenty of staff fighting. One of the most common mistakes I saw,” As Ikkaku swung his naginata towards her, the draconic teen blocked and rushed forwards to counterattack, “Was overreliance on your greater reach.” With that, Tatsuki drove her hand forward like a spear towards the bald Shinigami’s already injured shoulder.</p>
<p>Even as her claws pierced straight through his shoulder, Ikkaku smirked. “Split apart!” Suddenly, Hōzukimaru split into a three-section staff. The two sections Ikkaku wasn’t holding continued their previous momentum, causing the blade to swing right for her face. Unable to pull her hand free in time, Tatsuki’s scream rent the air as her right eye was sliced open!</p>
<p>“TATSUKI-CHAN!” Orihime yelled. She quickly rushed forward, only to immediately have to dodge as Yumichika slashed towards her. The buxom orangette tried to move around him but his Zanpakutō lashed out towards her once more. “Santen Kesshun, I reject!” An orange barrier stopped his attack cold and Orihime snarled furiously, “Get out of my way!”</p>
<p>His ever-present smirk still in place, Yumichika responded, “I’m afraid not. I told you, all duels are one on one.” Despite refusing to stand aside, he made no further aggressive actions towards her. “Simply keep watching until the fight’s over and we’ll have no problems.”</p>
<p>But Orihime wasn’t having it. She refused to back down when someone she loved needed her. Instead she snapped, “Koten Zanshun! I reject!” Tsubaki flew from her hairpin with greater speed than ever before, fueled by her rage. The fairy obliterated Yumichika’s Zanpakutō and mangled his hand before returning to her. While Yumichika felt a howl of pain and outrage from Ruri'iro Kujaku, but didn’t focus on it, his attention dominated by the snarling woman before him.  “Move or <strong>die</strong>!”</p>
<p>During this time, Tatsuki and Ikkaku hadn’t been idle. Indeed, despite the loss of her eye and the blood pouring down her face, Tatsuki was still going strong. Ikkaku, who’d only seen such tenacity in himself and his captain, was surprised when she lashed out with a vicious kick that embedded her talons into his lower thigh. The bald man’s injury was worsened when the martial artist then dragged her foot downward, shredding his leg. Still, she wasn’t the only tenacious fighter. Ikkaku smashed his forehead into her nose, breaking it, before reconnecting Hōzukimaru and smashing the tasseled end right into her bleeding eye socket. Once more, Tatsuki howled, “Motherfucker!” Grasping her ruined eye with one hand, she made a blind swipe with the other, causing her enemy to jump back.</p>
<p>Though she still had power to spare, the blood loss was getting to Tatsuki. Already her vision was swimming, and it was a chore just to stay standing. If she didn’t finish the fight soon, she’d be a goner. As such, she started focusing her Reiryoku into her chest, preparing for her strongest attack. Though it might have won the fight sooner, she still needed a few seconds to charge it, something her opponent hadn’t been willing to give her. Nor was he keen to start now. Seeing his enemy up to something, Ikkaku decided it was time for one final clash to decide their battle. One last exchange, winner takes all. Readying Hōzukimaru, he abandoned all defense in exchange for landing a finishing blow.</p>
<p>To the bald Shinigami’s surprise, she didn’t even attempt to dodge his attack, his Zanpakutō impaling her through her liver with ease. Looking down at his Zanpakutō in surprise at how easily the fight ended, Ikkaku said, “Huh. That was anticli-“ He cut himself off when Tatsuki’s hands grabbed hold of Hōzukimaru’s shaft. Turning his gaze back towards her, he saw a golden light in her throat, shining so brilliantly, he could see it through her skin. As the light traveled up Tatsuki’s throat towards her mouth, Ikkaku had a moment to realize what was about to happen. “Well that’s not good.” With a cry that sounded more demonic than human, Tatsuki launched a golden beam of electricity out of her throat and straight into his head and upper chest. The blast tore right into Ikkaku, launching him dozens of meters even as it burnt into his flesh. He struck the ground and tumbled for a few more meters before coming to a stop. He didn’t get back up.</p>
<p>Tatsuki opened her mouth, presumably to make some post-battle taunt, only to collapse from her injuries. Orihime and Yumichika promptly broke away from their standoff, rushing to the aid of their respective friends. Orihime quickly engulfed her girlfriend in her Sōten Kisshun. To her relief, she could feel Tatsuki’s wounds healing, even her slashed and crushed eye. Meanwhile, Yumichika used what Kaidō he knew to stabilize his best friend. Once Yumichika felt he could move him, he slung Ikkaku’s arm over his shoulder and turned towards the two Ryoka. “I don’t know why you’re here, Ryoka. But I speak for both Ikkaku and myself when I say I hope we fight again.” With that, he vanished in a burst of Shunpo, eager to get his partner to a proper healer.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>Ichigo refused to let his opponent gain traction and charged forth. Eien-ō was brought in for a thrust at Rukia’s chest. Though she blocked his attack and forced a blade-lock, Ichigo wasn’t done. “Yūrei no ken,” He intoned. Before Rukia could ponder what he was doing, a flash of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Quickly dodging backwards, she barely avoided decapitation as a sword passed through the space her head had just occupied. Immediately afterwards, she had to twist to avoid another sword.</p>
<p>Though her opponent refused to relent, the Kuchiki did get enough space to see what he’d done. Attacking alongside the Ryoka was a pair of duplicates of his shikai, each moving independently of the original. She focused on dodging, trying to spot a hole in his defenses. As such, she caught when he passed straight through one of the duplicates. <em>‘They’re illusions!’</em> Certain she’d puzzled out the secret, on the next exchange, Rukia parried his Zanpakutō up and away from her, ignoring the phantom blades.</p>
<p>However, as she tried to fire a Byakurai into her opponent’s chest, one of the “illusions” pierced through the foot of her uninjured leg, nailing her to the ground. The young Shinigami gave a cry of pain and alarm, which was cut off when the Ryoka struck her in the chest with Eien-ō’s pommel. Her impaled foot was ripped free as she went tumbling backwards. Her enemy must have thought her finished as he didn’t press the attack, merely watched her warily. Shakily, Rukia forced herself into a kneeling position, Sode no Shirayuki seemingly being used as a crutch. Using what was left of her Reiryoku, Rukia punctured the ground as she prepared one last attack, “Tsugi no Mai, Ha-”</p>
<p>“Don’t think so! Bakudō #9, Hōrin!” Before Rukia could finish her attack, her arms were pinned to her sides by an orange and yellow rope. With a swing of his arm, Ichigo lifted her high in the air then slammed her back down to the ground. The wall they were fighting on cracked, as did several of her bones. Though the Kidō didn’t dissipate, neither was she flung into the air again. The Ryoka approached and calmly placed his Zanpakutō only a few inches from her throat. To her surprise, rather than finish her off, he instead demanded, “Yield.” In no shape to continue, Rukia shakily nodded. Still, the orange haired man didn’t remove his blade. “Now, I only have one question I want answered. Where is Kurotsuchi Nemu?”</p>
<p>The diminutive Shinigami’s eyes widened in shock. <em>‘That’s what he’s after?! He invaded the Seireitei for a single criminal?!’ </em>Coughing, which sent further jolts of agony through her body, Rukia roughly answered, “White… tower… middle of… Seirei…tei.”</p>
<p>Finally removing his sword from her throat, the man who so looked like Shiba Kaien resealed and sheathed his Zanpakutō. With a firm nod, he said, “Much obliged. Now, I better be going.”</p>
<p>As he turned to leave, Rukia couldn’t help but call to him, raising her voice as much as she was able, “You… won’t defeat my… brother.”</p>
<p>In response, the Ryoka laughed. “So what? I’m not here for him. I’m here for Nemu. If you lot let her go, I’ll take her and leave. If not, I’ll kill whoever I have to. Be sure to pass that on for me when you wake up, would you?” The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was his sandaled foot rapidly approaching her head.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>As Sado and Ganju mopped up yet another patrol, the giant took a moment to comment on something that had been bothering him, especially as he was fairly certain he could beat these Shinigami even without his powers. “You seem to hate Shinigami a lot. Why is that?” A random Shinigami tried to take advantage of his apparent inattention, but his Zanpakutō stopped cold on Sado’s arm. Said Shinigami grinned sheepishly, only to catch the teen’s left fist to the face.</p>
<p>From where he currently had one Shinigami in a headlock and was punching out another, Ganju replied, “None of your business. Just know that all Shinigami are total bastards. Every last one of em!” His one opponent handled, Ganju turned his attention back to the one he’d been choking and punched him in the face as well.</p>
<p>Spotting still more Shinigami heading their way, Sado suggested, “Surely, there has to be some good Shinigami.” Honestly, fighting so many Shinigami was growing tedious. They weren’t even close to a challenge, but they were definitely wasting time.</p>
<p>“No chance,” Ganju scoffed, “No such thing as a good Shinigami! Hope they all die screaming. Even that buddy of yours-“ Ganju was interrupted by Sado taking out the entire approaching mob at once with a single use of El Directo. The young noble gaped in awe at his companion’s power.</p>
<p>Seeing no more enemies, Sado dismissed his Brazo Derecha de Gigante. As he and Ganju left the scene, he turned towards the shorter man and warned him, “If you badmouth Ichigo again, I’ll have to punch you.” Having just witnessed the other man’s destructive power, Ganju nodded frantically and resolved to keep his opinions to himself.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>Keeping her senses stretched to make sure none of the kids died, Yoruichi decided to amuse herself. It would be some time until they could make an actual attempt to rescue Nemu after all. Or more accurately, she needed a way to expose Aizen at the same time. If needed, she could probably break the lieutenant out and be out of Soul Society within fifteen minutes. But if Aizen was still free to act, it’d be for nothing; he could slaughter them all while still smelling like roses. Besides, so long as Yoruichi kept an eye on them, this would be a relatively safe way for the kids to grow stronger. The majority of Shinigami strong enough to be a threat wouldn’t kill someone who was obviously beaten or surrendered, and she could bail them out if they fought someone who would. Even if she didn’t manage to kill or stop Aizen here, having a group of powerful fighters who had never seen his shikai would be useful in the coming conflict.</p>
<p>Regardless, that was for later. For now, she needed some entertainment. Just as Yoruichi debated the merits of messing with that Byakuya kid she remembered, a patrol of the Stealth Forces passed beneath the roof she currently occupied. Given that they were talking about their mission, they were obviously rookies. “I’m surprised we’re being sent out to hunt for the Ryoka. Surely the regular Shinigami would suffice for such a thing?” One of them asked.</p>
<p>The patrol’s leader reprimanded him, “It’s not our place to question orders. Captain Soifon told us to find the invaders and that’s what we’ll do.” Following along on the roofs above, Yoruichi smirked as much as she could in her feline disguise. <em>‘</em>Captain<em> Soifon is it? My little bee’s all grown up it seems. And now I know just how to entertain myself.’</em> Transforming back into her natural form, Yoruichi leapt down and knocked out all four of the ninjas before they even registered her presence. She then stripped them down and donned one of their uniforms for herself. Properly disguised, she locked the unconscious men inside a nearby supply closet and left for the 2<sup>nd</sup> Division barracks.</p>
<p>Fifteen minutes later, Yoruichi infiltrated the 2<sup>nd</sup> Division in the most effective way possible. She walked right in and acted like she was far too busy to talk to some random idiot wanting to know where she was going. Even better, unless little Soifon’s signature had drastically changed, she wasn’t anywhere nearby.  Marching right into the captain’s quarters, the ebony woman quickly set about her work. A quick search found what she was looking for and swiping a sheet gave the former captain a bag to keep all her loot in. All told, she was gone from the grounds within thirty seconds of entering the room.</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>Marching towards the 1<sup>st</sup> Division Assembly Hall, Hitsugaya Toshiro, youngest Shinigami Captain in history, muttered to himself, “A second meeting this week? And the third one this month? Just what is going on?” Despite his snow-white hair and serious expression, his short stature and youthful face  gave him away for the boy he was, rather than the old man he sometimes acted as.</p>
<p>Arriving nearby and hurrying to walk alongside him was the equally white-haired but far more cheerful Ukitake Jūshirō, Captain of 13<sup>th</sup> Division and one of the longest serving captains in Soul Society. “Cheer up, Shiro-chan. It might be rather unusual but I’m sure this whole mess will be cleared up soon.” While the current situation was relatively serious, Jūshirō had lived through true crises. By comparison, a small group of invaders and an unusual execution weren’t <strong>that</strong> unsettling. Certainly unusual, but likely nothing to be too concerned about. As they reached the assembly hall, the pair found several captains already there, all simply standing at the entrance. “Hm, what’s all this about?” Jūshirō questioned. In response, Captains Komamura (a hulking man in a helmet) and Aizen moved aside.</p>
<p>Hanging from the ceiling were several makeshift banners made of women’s panties tied together. All different kinds at that: frilly ones with ribbons, plain white ones, and ones so small he could barely see them at this distance.  As Jūshirō pondered just whose panties those were, and praying they weren’t Unohana’s, a new voice cut in, “What are you all gawking at? There’s Ryoka wandering the Seireitei and you’re all standing around like this?” Captain Soifon, a rather short and petite woman with her black hair kept in two wrapped braids, pushed her way to the front of the group. When she saw the panty streamers, Soifon stared in horror. Her mouth opened but no sound came out as her eyes widened. After several long seconds, she screamed, “WHO STOLE MY UNDERWEAR?!?!”</p>
<p>-]|[-</p>
<p>
  <strong>Non-Canon Omake: Tan Her Hide</strong>
</p>
<p>Said midget sputtered in shock, “T-tan my hide?! I’d like to see you try, you delinquent.” Unfortunately, Ichigo didn’t take kindly to her words and decided to take Rukia up on her “offer”. Faster than she could react, he was already upon her. “Wait- what’re you- lemme go!” Despite her protests, the young woman quickly found herself bent over his lap. Her own sash was used to bind her wrists before he pulled her hakama down.</p>
<p>Seeing Rukia’s bare ass, Ichigo paused for a moment to admire the view. While Nemu’s was larger and juicier, he had to admit, this Rukia girl had one magnificent peach of an ass. Raising his hand, Ichigo declared, “Count em, or they don’t count.”</p>
<p>Rukia barely had time to ponder his words before he struck her backside with jarring, almost bruising force. “GAH! How dare you, you bar- AH!” Rather than respond, the Ryoka smacked her buttocks again. And again. And again.</p>
<p>Sternly, he reminded the diminutive Shinigami, “I told you. Count em or they don’t count.” His statement was punctuated with another harsh slap.</p>
<p>“O-one,” Rukia growled. She wasn’t getting out of this on her own, but damn if she was going to be happy about it. Another smack. “Two.” Another. “Three!” It was as she was rounding out ten that Rukia felt it. The spanking still hurt but the pain was starting to feel… <em>good</em>. Unbidden, a lewd moan escaped her lips, “Twelve~!”</p>
<p>Surprised at the sound, Ichigo paused in his slaps. <em>‘Did she just-? No, I must have imagined it.’</em> He brought his hand down on her jiggling cheeks once more, making sure to alternate as he went. After a few more strikes, Ichigo knew he wasn’t imagining things. The woman across his lap was subtly thrusting her behind back towards him with each blow and his right knee felt distinctly wet. “You’re getting off on this, aren’t you?” He asked in both amusement and disbelief.</p>
<p>Shaking her head, Rukia denied any such thing, “N-n-no. Of course not!” But her claims felt weak, even to her, especially as she could feel her arousal trickling down her legs. A fresh blow caused her loudest cry yet, “AHN~! S-six…teen.”</p>
<p>Ichigo merely chuckled, “In that case, you shouldn’t have a problem reaching twenty then. Right?”</p>
<p>She tried to brace herself, but Rukia had never felt such things before. She wasn’t a virgin by any means, but the pain and humiliation were making her pussy ache like nothing she’d ever felt before. Smack! “Sssseventeen!” SMACK! “Eight-t-t-teen!” No. She’d definitely never felt like this before. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “Nine-nine-nine!” On and on, he struck her poor abused ass. Both of her cheeks were glowing red. But she couldn’t manage to finish counting. Summoning all her willpower, Rukia managed to force out, “Nineteen!”</p>
<p>At long last, the final blow landed. By pure coincidence, as Ichigo’s palm impacted her ass cheek one final time, the tips of his fingers brushed against both her lower holes. In that instant, Rukia was undone. Her vision went white as lights exploded in front of her eyes. Her juices spurted out of her pussy, further staining Ichigo’s robes. Her voice broke as she shrieked at the top of her lungs, “TWENTYYYYY<em>YYYYYY</em>yyyyyyyyy~!!!!”</p>
<p>Ichigo allowed the passed-out Shinigami to fall from his lap, suddenly feeling very awkward. Even disregarding his throbbing erection, he hadn’t expected the young woman to orgasm from being spanked. Certainly not to orgasm so powerfully that she passed out. After a moment, he pulled up her hakama and quickly left the area. He’d need a bit of “alone time” before he was ready to continue.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN: First, two things I forgot to state last chapter. One is that Sado is using the evolved form of his Brazo Derecha de Gigante, the one that debuted in the Hueco Mundo arc. In canon, it felt like Yoruichi was mostly making sure Orihime and Sado could use their powers, rather than training them to be stronger. Or at least, that’s my impression. Here, Sado had three weeks of fighting a captain level enemy, albeit one holding back. So his arm evolved. Two is Bambietta’s rifle. I figured since some Quincy had crossbows or ballista or that one Commissioner Gordon looking guy who used a pistol, why not give her a rifle. Specifically, her rifle is based on the Karabiner 98k (main infantry rifle used by the Germans in WW2). Rather than nocking an arrow, she manipulates the bolt as a mnemonic for gathering and firing. Personal headcanon, since Ryūken can fire his bow onehanded, I assume the act of nocking and releasing an arrow is just a mnemonic to make “firing” Reishi easier.<br/><br/>As many of you guessed, Ichigo and Tatsuki fought Rukia and Ikkaku respectively in this chapter. Rukia is an actual seated member because she figured out someone had to be holding her back. She’s nearing lieutenant level and still hasn’t been promoted after forty years of service? So, Rukia went to Byakuya, learned that he’s been interfering (though not why) and convinced him to stop holding her back by pointing out that 1) People are now assuming she’s an utter failure given she’s a Kuchiki who’s still unseated after so long. 2) The highest ranks do have the most dangerous missions, but they’re also mostly administrative jobs (outside the 11th). A 3rd Seat might be called to fight Gillians, but they’ll be spending most of their time on the clock dealing with paperwork. So, she got promoted but because Rukia has no leadership experience, she’s still only an 11th Seat for now even if she’s stronger than her Division’s 3rd Seats.<br/>As for why Rukia’s Byakurai simply hurt Ichigo instead of putting a hole in his head and killing him? Because unlike Byakuya, she cast it completely silently and she’s considerably weaker than Ichigo. Were she on his level, he’d be 100% dead right now. As is? Rukia broke his nose but little else.<br/><br/>It was as I was writing Yoruichi’s scene that I suddenly wondered, “Why didn’t they use Yoruichi to save Rukia? She’d have gotten the ice midget back before Ichigo even woke up.” So here, Yoruichi and Urahara do want to save Nemu, but she’s less a priority than Aizen is. Or put another way, Urahara is helping Ichigo for the reasons he stated; he just didn’t share EVERY reason.<br/><br/>Now for the only Author’s Note anyone actually cares about. Next time on “Vow of the King”! Isane learns her tits are too small and Sado destroys the Fat Bastard tag!</p>
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